Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 3 October 1994

53 articles found

Poet Emha and ABRI

Poet Emha and ABRI From Bisnis Indonesia I was surprised when reading a news item in the paper that poet Emha Ainun Nadjib was invited by Regional Military Commander/Diponegoro Major Gen. Soeyono to read a poem in Semarang, Central Java, in observance of the anniversary of the Armed Forces (ABRI). This is really an interesting event. Emha Ainun Nadjib is often banned from doing his professional, cultural activities, such as poetry reading, drama presentations and lectures on art.

Nine inmates escape

Nine inmates escape MEDAN, North Sumatra: Police are tracking down nine inmates who escaped from the their detention house in Pangkalan Brandan last week. They broke out by sawing the iron bars of a ventilation window, scaling a four meter high wall and climbing down a rope made from blankets, police said. The detainees, between 18 and 52 years of age, were being held for various offenses and are now believed to be hiding in Medan, Antara reported. (pan)

Experts, traders not upbeat about `Zebra'

Experts, traders not upbeat about `Zebra' JAKARTA (JP): Experts and vendors question a plan of the police to ticket jaywalkers, undisciplined commuters and street vendors, saying that poor traffic infrastructure have forced people to commit the offenses.

KL builds metro system

KL builds metro system MONTREAL (AFP): Canadian engineering firms Bombardier and SNC- Lavalin have won a contract to build a metro system in Kuala Lumpur with the first stations scheduled to open in 1998. Montreal-based Bombardier was to build 70 wagons that were to have automatic pilot systems, company officials said in a statement. The contract was reported worth $961 million (US$711 million).

Thai-Saudi ties may be severed: Saudi envoy

Thai-Saudi ties may be severed: Saudi envoy BANGKOK (AFP): Saudi Arabia may sever relations with Thailand if Thai authorities are unable to solve the Saudi jewelry case and the murders here of four Saudi diplomats and a businessman, Riyadh's envoy said last Saturday. Saudi Charge d'Affaires Mohammad Said Khoja told local reporters that Thai-Saudi relations would return to normal only when the murders of the diplomats and the businessman and the gems case are resolved.

More import players in 1995 Kobatama

More import players in 1995 Kobatama JAKARTA (JP): The semi-professional national basketball league Kobatama plans to draft 22 more foreign players into the league next season to shape up the balance of power among participating clubs. Chief of the league commission of the national basketball association (Perbasi) Meliono Suwondo said on Saturday that each of the 11 teams will have two imported players.

Malaysia, S'pore to discuss pollution

Malaysia, S'pore to discuss pollution SINGAPORE (AFP): Malaysia and Singapore will hold a two-day meeting to discuss the forest fire pollution currently affecting both countries, the Ministry of Environment said. A statement from the ministry said over the weekend the two- day meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE), would be held in Penang in north Malaysia.

Foreign exchange rates omission

Foreign exchange rates omission To be frank, it was very disturbing to read Capt. R.W. de Jong's letter in The Jakarta Post on Sept. 27. I cannot refrain from expressing my opinion. He criticized The Jakarta Post for not publishing the Foreign Exchange Rates and complained about the paper's apology that the omission was caused by human error. He could not understand that The Jakarta Post, being the biggest and most prestigious English newspaper in Indonesia, can make that kind of mistake.

Share prices weaken across the board on JSX

Share prices weaken across the board on JSX JAKARTA (JP): Sporadic selling throughout last week continued to weaken share prices across the board. As predicted, the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) Composite Index broke the 500 points psychological support level, closing lower for a third week at 497.97, down 14.6 points from the previous week's close.

Hong Kong is biggest investor in Vietnam

Hong Kong is biggest investor in Vietnam HANOI (Reuter): Asian companies continued to dominate foreign investment in communist Vietnam in the first nine months of this year, with Hong Kong firms in the lead, the government said on Saturday. The State Committee for Cooperation and Investment (SCCI), which judges investment applications, said Hong Kong companies had 39 projects approved with total investment capital of US$441 million.

Blood transfusion center inaugurated

Blood transfusion center inaugurated JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Red Cross chief, Ibnu Sutowo, inaugurated the new Rp 12 billion (US$5.5 million) blood transfusion center located at Jl. Joe No. 7 in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, late last week. According to Susanto Mangunsagito, a Red Cross executive, the new building replaces the old one on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, which had been occupied by the Red Cross for more than 60 years.

ABRI officers linked to extortion

ABRI officers linked to extortion SEMARANG, Central Java: Ten officers of the Armed Forces (ABRI) suspected of extorting money from potential recruits will be questioned soon, the local military chief said Saturday. The action will be taken to support ABRI's claim that there is no enrollment fee required from new cadets, said Maj. Gen. Soeyono, chief of the Diponegoro regional military command overseeing security in the province.

RP wared over economy

RP wared over economy MANILA (AFP): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the Philippines of emerging imbalances that threaten to derail its fledgling economic recovery, a confidential document published here Saturday showed. The document obtained by the Manila Chronicle newspaper hailed the 5.07 percent growth in the first semester, but urged that the ballooning trade gap, nearly double-digit inflation and negative real interest rate be addressed.

`Underway' is underway in Tanah Abang

`Underway' is underway in Tanah Abang JAKARTA (JP): The nagging traffic problems in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, might be partly solved with the construction of an "underway" which will connect Jl. KH Mansyur and Jl. Fachrudin. Engineers working on the project calls it an "underway" which differs from an underpass in that it is not a tunnel because the top part of it is open.

Battling forest fires

Battling forest fires As a neighbor to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam we must listen to and heed their grievances over the haze caused by the forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. None of their complaints should be construed as interference in our domestic affairs. We now face the task of convincing these neighbors that forest fires in areas where peat and coal deposits exist are very difficult to subdue.

TV today

TV today TVRI 2:30 p.m. TV Series: Peter Pan & the Pirates 3:00 Riang Ria 3:30 TV Series: Unsolved Mysteries 4:30 Students' Quiz: Cepat Tepat 5:00 Regional News 5:30 Science and Technology 6:05 Nusantara, the Beloved Country 6:15 Village Program 6:30 Religion Teaching: Hindu 7:00 Evening News 7:30 TV Drama 8:05 TV Series: Van Der Valk 9:00 World News 9:30 Music: Pesona Nada 10:35 Late News 10:45 Film Program 2 4:30 p.m.

Conversion rates

Conversion rates Announcement: Bank Indonesia, which started to implement a five- day working system last month, no longer provides the list of conversion rates for foreign exchange on Saturdays. This newspaper, therefore, no longer publishes foreign exchange conversion rates in its Monday editions. -- Editor

12 investigated for smuggling

12 investigated for smuggling PROBOLINGGO, East Java: The municipal police are investigating twelve people suspected of smuggling electronic goods into Probolinggo. "The smuggling case will be processed in accordance with the law," Antara quoted municipal police chief Lt. Col. Suyatno as saying here Saturday. He said the smugglers were foiled when the local police captured a Japanese flag vessel carrying electronic goods, radios, video tapes and sewing machines.

Good old colonial days?

Good old colonial days? This is my instantaneous reaction to Mr. de Jong's suggestions, asking The Jakarta Post to teach the readers about the good old colonial days and his pretension of knowing better about what's going on in this country than 99 percent of the pure Indonesians (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 27, 1994: Omissions in the Post.) Sir, did you have a great-grandfather who was hanged for planting the wrong crops, that could feed his family during the Forced Crop regime?

PGI seeks new rule on church building

PGI seeks new rule on church building By Imanuddin JAKARTA (JP): The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) is seeking to change the regulation on where it can establish its houses of worship in the future, taking the power away from local community leaders and putting it into the government's hands. PGI's Secretary-General J.M. Pattiasina said the communion's leaders will review the issue during its grand assembly in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, next month.

East Timor leaders agree to expand forum

East Timor leaders agree to expand forum JAKARTA (JP): Leaders from East Timor still residing in Indonesia, along with others living in exile, agreed to expand their forum to include other overseas Timorese factions in hopes of bringing about total reconciliation. F.X. Lopez Da Cruz leads the pro-integration delegation that plans to meet with leaders of those who oppose integration into Indonesia.

Taxi company to sell 37% of its shares to public

Taxi company to sell 37% of its shares to public JAKARTA (JP): PT Centris Multipersada Pratama, a taxi operator, will sell 37 percent of its expanded shares through the Jakarta and Surabaya Stock Exchanges at the end of this month. The company, which currently operates over 2,000 taxis in four major cities, will offer 20 million shares, each with a par value of Rp 1,000.

East Pademangan residents sue city in land dispute

East Pademangan residents sue city in land dispute JAKARTA (JP): Twenty-seven families living in East Pademangan subdistrict, North Jakarta, have filed a lawsuit with the State Administrative Court over a land dispute. They have sworn not to move until a court verdict is achieved. "We also filed a lawsuit with the North Jakarta District Court on Sept. 17.

IBM goes OEM with its Cobalt AT 486BL motherboard

IBM goes OEM with its Cobalt AT 486BL motherboard By Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): All right! Finally, I've happily gotten rid of my old albeit faithful 386 PC. Well, partly. I still have most of its components, including the case, the two floppy disk drives, the Orchid Fahrenheit 1280 graphics accelerator card, the Northgate Omnikey keyboard and one of the two 240 MB Quantum ProDrive hard disks.

Kalimantan, Sumatra forest fires turn into blaming game

Kalimantan, Sumatra forest fires turn into blaming game JAKARTA (JP): The government blames the nomadic tribes. The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) blames the forestry concessionaires. Now the concessionaires are blaming the weather. While neighboring Malaysia and Singapore are complaining loudly about the haze that comes from the bush fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, in Jakarta various parties are still trying to work out what or who started the fires.

Malaysia stops issuing visas to Indian citizens

Malaysia stops issuing visas to Indian citizens KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): The Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi has stopped issuing visas to Indian citizens in a move to prevent the plague outbreak there spreading to Malaysia, local newspapers reported yesterday. The High Commission's information officer Dunstan Melling was quoted as saying the High Commission had rejected all 40 visa applications it received on Friday, the day the government's directive was issued.

KL strengthens ties with CPC

KL strengthens ties with CPC KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's ruling National Front coalition said yesterday its strengthening of ties with the Communist Party of China (CPC) would not lead to a revival of socialism at home. "Malaysia's stance on communism has not changed," Mohamed Rahmat, secretary-general of the National Front, said as he stressed the relationship with the CPC would not open new doors for the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).

White book on 1965 PKI coup attempt published

White book on 1965 PKI coup attempt published JAKARTA (JP): The government has published the long-promised white book on the communist coup attempt in 1965. The 293-page book, which was published on Oct. 1, the day Indonesia lamented about the tragedy, is entitled Gerakan 30 September, Pemberontakan Partai Komunis Indonesia (The September 30 Movement, a Rebellion by the Indonesian Communist Party). The book also contains 120 pages of appendix and bibliography.

Indonesian film wins top prize

Indonesian film wins top prize KYOTO, Japan (AFP): The seventh annual Tokyo International Film Festival ended here yesterday, with top prizes going to features directed by Hong Kong's Yim Ho and Indonesia's Garin Nugroho. Yim's The day the sun turned cold won the Grand Prix in the International Competition, while Nugroho's Surat untuk bidadari (Letter to an angel) was given the Gold Prize in the Young Cinema section.

Hadson discovers gas

Hadson discovers gas JAKARTA (JP): Hadson Bentu Limited, one of Pertamina's production sharing contractors, has discovered gas and condensate reserves in Riau. Pertamina, the state-owned oil company, announced here Saturday that the gas and condensate were discovered in the Seng- I field in the Bentu bloc, around 15 kilometers southeast of Pekanbaru, the capital of the Riau province.

Pressure mounts to sue senior columnist Manai

Pressure mounts to sue senior columnist Manai JAKARTA (JP): Pressure mounted during the weekend to sue senior columnist Manai Sophiaan for suggesting that student leaders in the 1960s received funding from the American Central Intelligence Agency to stage street protests against president Sukarno.

Auditing state accounts

Auditing state accounts The four-day government conference on the auditing of state financial accounts which opened on Thursday has disclosed the enormous difficulties encountered by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in properly executing its tasks and the inadequacy of the financial accountability of the various government agencies. BPK's difficulties and constraints seemed to have been caused mainly by the inadequate legislation regarding its audit authority and function.

450 midwives for rural areas

450 midwives for rural areas PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The provincial government has contracted 457 midwives to work in remote areas of the province. Secretary to the provincial administration Djulkip Siregar, who met with the midwives at his office last week, said the policy aimed at improving the quality of public health in the isolated areas. Over the last year, over 500 houses have been built in all districts in order to accommodate the midwives, Antara quoted him as saying.

Council calls for vigilance against plague

Council calls for vigilance against plague JAKARTA (JP): City councilors have insisted that the government take anticipatory measures to avoid any possible spread of pneumonic plague which has afflicted 1,500 people in India over the last two weeks.

Fire victims face eviction

Fire victims face eviction The Central Jakarta Mayoralty gave Saturday a final option to 80 families living on the old fire site in Bendungan Hilir subdistrict to take the compensation offered by the government or face demolition. A joint team, including police officials and military personnel, is scheduled to pull down semi-permanent buildings rebuilt on the location by the fire victims. "Those who want to accept the compensation still have time until Sunday," an official said.

Rapid development changes Tangerang

Rapid development changes Tangerang By K. Basrie TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang has rapidly changed. The changes can be noticed in all aspects of development, such as buildings, public and social facilities and population but, along with the development, Tangerang has also seen a rise in criminal acts.

RI art troupe cancels India tour over plague

RI art troupe cancels India tour over plague JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian art troupe from Bali has canceled it's planned two-week tour in India due to the deadly pneumonic plague epidemic there. The cultural group consisting of 35 Balinese dancers, folk singers, painters and sculptors was slated to arrive in New Delhi yesterday after completing their mission in Germany.

Actor to sue 'Citra' magazine

Actor to sue 'Citra' magazine Film star Ratno Timoer, 52, is threatening to file defamation charges against Citra, a tabloid published by Jakarta-based Gramedia Group. The 52-year-old actor late last week took the defamation claim to the City Police. Informed sources said that police promised to process the report immediately so that the dossier of the case can be handed to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office soon.

RI provides visa-free facility for E. European countries

RI provides visa-free facility for E. European countries JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, aiming at attracting more tourist arrivals in the coming five years, is now providing visa-free entrance facilities for visitors from four countries in eastern Europe.

Traveler ambassador is going home

Traveler ambassador is going home By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat After a three-and-a-half year posting in Jakarta Ambassador Karl Walter Lewalter finally bids his friends farewell tomorrow. Calling his experience here the "most interesting period" in his life, the well-traveled envoy will become Sub-Director General at Asia and Pacific Affairs at the German Foreign Ministry.

Bad loans

Bad loans From Suara Karya The government has taken effective measures to deal with bad loans involving both state-owned banks and private banks. The cases have been taken to court and the debtors are blacklisted and banned from leaving the country. As a citizen of this country I would like to give some suggestions for consideration.

Haze causes boat collision

Haze causes boat collision PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Thick haze from forest fires caused a ferry and two boats to collide in the Kapuas River last week, a press report said yesterday. There were no casualties in the accident although two tug boats did sink, Antara said quoting the Pontianak port officer Molder Mustafa. The 1,700 ton ferry KM Sitiung from state shipping company, PT Pelni, was only slightly dented and the eight people aboard were all rescued, Mustafa said.

Locals get honor of torch ceremony

Locals get honor of torch ceremony HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuter): Two Hiroshima athletes achieved what is likely to be the high point of their sporting careers yesterday -- but it had nothing to do with their speciality events. The honor of lighting the Asian Games torch went to two local athletes, members of the Japanese squad for the Games, but hardly top stars of the team vying to come second behind China at the event.

Vietnam's oil bonanza, the dream and reality

Vietnam's oil bonanza, the dream and reality By Philippe Agret HANOI (AFP): After getting high on the hopes of striking black gold off the shores of Vietnam, the world's oil giants have now glumly awoke to the hazards -- the immense cost of investment and, so far, the meager rewards. The mood was subdued among foreign companies exhibiting their technological wares last week at the second International Oil and Gas Fair in Hanoi.

Police to probe burning of records

Police to probe burning of records MANILA (AFP): President Fidel Ramos has ordered the Philippine National Police to form a special task force to investigate the burning of the records of a suburb of this city, a palace statement said yesterday. Ramos said the task force should determine "who is the mastermind" of the fire at the Kalookan City Hall which was set by seven armed, masked men in military fatigues on Saturday.

Traffic jam on Jl. Diponegoro

Traffic jam on Jl. Diponegoro Hundreds of vehicles heading in the direction of Jl. Salemba Raya, a major road in Central Jakarta, were trapped in a massive traffic jam on Jl. Diponegoro Saturday afternoon due to poor work of a contractor doing road repairs near the Metropole 21 cinema. Many students taking public buses grumbled because they arrived late at their schools due to the bumper-to-bumper traffic. The congestion was estimated to span more than three kilometers.

Adrianus gets big welcome at home for retaining title

Adrianus gets big welcome at home for retaining title JAKARTA (JP): Adrianus Taroreh, who successfully defended his Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) lightweight title on Thursday for the second time, returned to Sam Ratulangi airport and was paraded in an open car to his hometown, the Sea village in Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi.

Where to go in Jakarta:

Where to go in Jakarta: Music * The Aryaduta Jakarta, Jl. Prapatan 44-48, Central Jakarta: - Ambassador Lounge: Amir (pianist) Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; Boece (pianist) & Rima Monday to Thursday 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday & Saturday 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; Jakarta String Fantasy Trio (chamber music) Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Yusuf (pianist), Sunday 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Strong yen spurring Asia growth

Strong yen spurring Asia growth By Yoshitake Shimizu TOKYO: The yen's recent appreciation has contributed greatly to the booming economies of Asia. The sharply increasing direct investment by Japanese companies in Asian countries helps strengthen their production bases and boosts their workers' wages. This also helps expand exports of finished products from those nations.

PPP recruits scholars as political advisers

PPP recruits scholars as political advisers JAKARTA (JP): The Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP), which last week completed the line-up of its executive board, means to embrace academics as its advisers. The conflict-ridden party dropped its plan to form a research and development section and will instead hold regular meetings with its scholars to seek advice on how to implement its programs.

Agents appointed to market analog mobile telephones

Agents appointed to market analog mobile telephones JAKARTA (JP): PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) Saturday appointed eight companies to market advanced analog mobile telephones in 18 major cities in the country. The agreements on the telephone marketing was signed in a ceremony here by Telkom's president Setyanto P. Santosa and executives of the eight companies, comprising of PT Aksara Tama, PT Arya Bima Perkasa, PT Mitra Graha Adimandiri, PT Harakom Datra Nusa, PT Nasio sdn.

Elephant problem is human problem: Forestry official

Elephant problem is human problem: Forestry official By T. Simawati Gunawan PEKANBARU, Riau (JP): A senior official of the Forestry Ministry is calling for a coordinated effort by government agencies and private institutions to contain the problems of recurrent raids on villages in Sumatra by wild elephants. "The elephant problem is not the problem of the elephants," said Widodo S. Ramono of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation.

Bush fires raging on Flores

Bush fires raging on Flores KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Bush fires have been raging on Flores and on its surrounding islands, destroying food crops of local farmers. Thick haze has blanketed most of the eastern part of Flores and the islands of Adonara, Solor and Lembata, Antara reported yesterday. Residents said bush fires are commonplace during the dry season but that these were the most serious in years.