Sulistyo beats Bonit for third best JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Davis Cup player Sulistyo Wibowo beat Bonit Wiryawan at the 1996 BNI Indonesia Masters at the Jakarta Hilton International Hotel yesterday. Sulistyo, who teamed up with Bonit in the Davis Cup tie against Chinese Taipei in September, won 6-2, 6-4, to finish third. Another old hand, Tjahjono, lost to rookie Djanuar Radjab 5- 7, 1-6, while the lefthanded Timorese Sebastian da Costa beat junior Edo Bawono 6-3, 6-1.

The role of transport in regional economies By Robert N. Schwartz SINGAPORE: A prevalent school of thought argues that in order for the countries of Southeast Asia to attract foreign direct investment, transportation and transport infrastructure must play a vital and leading role. Not only is this an inaccurate assessment, but it could also lead to excessive spending on unnecessary projects.

Pope encourages Belo to continue peace efforts ROME (Agencies): Pope John Paul is encouraging Nobel peace laureate Bishop Carlos Belo to continue his work promoting peace in East Timor, Reuters said. "Congratulations on the Nobel Prize. I hope it will be a shield for you to work more for peace in Timor," Belo quoted the Pope as saying during a brief private audience at the Vatican. "The Holy Father was very pleased to receive me," Belo told a news conference.

Future of TV industry may rely on 'sinetron' By Marselli Sumarno JAKARTA (JP): The annual Indonesian Film Festival was scrapped in 1993 in response to the national film industry's decline in recent years. But the TV film industry, called sinetron, has skyrocketed since there have been five TV stations. The third Indonesian Sinetron Festival was held on Thursday night and 44 cups were awarded in various categories.

Breakdown of city forest areas in Jakarta (1992-1997) --------------------------------------------------- Locations Target area/trees ---------------------------- 1992-1995 1995-1997 --------------------------------------------------- Central Jakarta - former Kemayoran 12 hectares 40.17 hectares airport 12,000 trees 40,000 trees North Jakarta - Pluit dam 10 hectares -- 10,000 trees 5,000 trees West Jakarta - Srengseng 6.75 hectares 8.25 hectares 6,750 trees 8,250 trees South Jakarta - UI...

Three cultural traditions woven into one wedding Text and photos by K. Basrie JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, home to more than 300 ethnic groups, has many ways to celebrate a wedding. Western-style wedding ceremonies are still unusual as most couples prefer to follow the customs of their respective ethnic backgrounds. Last weekend, The Jakarta Post was invited to a wedding that blended the culture of the Sundanese, from West Java, with the south Sumatra customs of Lampung and Palembang.

Cost of circumcision On Nov. 24, 1996, I had my newly born son circumcised at Pondok Indah Hospital. I imagined the charges would be approximately Rp 250,000. I was shocked on leaving the hospital to find the doctor concerned had charged Rp 750,000. In my opinion, this is an extortionate price.

ARF not seen as answer to regional security problems The ASEAN Regional Forum, Adelphi Paper 302 Michael Leifer Oxford: Oxford University Press for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1996, 65 pages SINGAPORE: Events like the cross-strait tension between China and Taiwan, the hiccup in U.S.-Japan security ties (in relation to incidents in Okinawa) combined with ongoing concern about the standoff on the Korean Peninsula, the situation in the Spratly Islands, and the regular...

Pele sacks ministry staff BRASILIA (Reuter): Pele has dismissed 12 employees at his Brazilian sports ministry on suspicion of corruption. "It's a great shame that this had to happen, especially during the holiday season but I believe I came here to do an honest job and defend as much as I can taxpayers' money," sports minister Pele told national CBN Radio on Friday.

The once-a-year festival is coming JAKARTA (JP): That time of the year again... hunting for cards to send to nearest, dearest and whoever comes in between. I don't do this anymore -- haven't for a long time -- ever since I discovered that it does run to expenses. The thing is, what with having to slave away and living by myself, writing a stack of Chrissy cards is the kind of thing you tend to postpone until the last minute.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:25 Morning news 6:45 Healthy and Fit 7:00 News 7:30 TV Series: Grandizeer 8:00 Science Film 8:30 Information 9:00 English News Service 9:30 People and Events 10:00 Music: Album Minggu Ini 11:00 Children's Story: Cerita Untuk Anak 11:30 Comedy: Ria Jenaka 11:45 Sports: Dari Gelanggang Ke Gelanggang 1:15 p.m News 1:30 Teenagers' Program: Temu Remaja 2:00 Music: Minggu Gembira 2:35 TV Series: Buck Rogers 3:00 News: Lintasan Berita 3:05...

ASEAN, India cooperate NEW DELHI (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said here yesterday that the seven-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India could prove to be a boon for each other. "The expansion of ASEAN embracing all the 10 countries in SouthEast Asia will provide a large market and wider investment opportunities for Indian companies," Mahathir said in an inaugural address at the ASEAN-India lecture series here.

Goh wants to keep post SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, widely expected to win a strong mandate at upcoming polls, indicated in remarks published yesterday that he plans to remain at the helm for the next 10 years. Goh, 55, told university students at a dialogue late Friday that he hoped to find a potential successor when he was about 65 years old but said he had no intention of dying in office.

SEAG organizers urged to stage a modest event JAKARTA (JP): State Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman urged SEA Games organizers yesterday to stage the biennial event modestly. "They don't have to force the public to pay for the over calculated budget to host the event," he said. Hayono said organizers did not have to stage an extravagant opening ceremony but had to pay more attention to athletes' facilities and venues.

Royal Balinese wedding attracts tourists Text and photos by Oka Budhi Yogaswara UBUD, Bali (JP): A royal Balinese wedding here last month attracted hundreds of tourists to this resort island. Tjokorda Ngurah Suyadnya, 25, and Tjokorda Istri Indira Shanti, 22, were married last month at the residence of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa in Puri Saren Kauh, Ubud, 30 kilometers from Bali's capital of Denpasar.

'Jurnal Perempuan' exposes gender issues Jakarta (JP): A woman's work is never done, so says the cliche. Yet, as the new triannual journal Jurnal Perempuan (Women's Journal) illustrates, the saying is no cliche.

Poems read in celebration of Women's Day By Carla Bianpoen JAKARTA (JP): When the first women's congress was held in December 1928, the objective was primarily to join forces for the women's cause, i.e. the position of women in matrimony and education. Marking women's awakening, the first congress united women's organizations which were determined to halt polygamy, a custom that had caused women too much suffering.

What they say about the city regreening program JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's regreening program -- dubbed the One Million Tree Movement -- is still going on. It is not an instant job. Authorities say beautiful public parks and urban forests will not be seen for at least another five years. Some say the campaign, launched by Governor Surjadi Soedirdja in 1993, has achieved significant results while others see it as a good idea which needs improvement.

Expert suggests educating before planting By A. Junaidi JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto launched the so-called Gerakan Sejuta Pohon (One Million Tree Movement) as part of the nation's regreening program. Under the program, the president instructed each of the 27 provinces in the country to plant one million trees a year. The campaign officially started in January 1993 with the planting of 1,000 trees at Monas square in Jakarta.

Regreening helps city breathe easier Along with the country's other major cities, Jakarta has been taking part in the Gerakan Sejuta Pohon (One Million Tree Movement). Since 1993, when the National Regreening Movement was launched by President Soeharto, some areas in the capital have been made greener, cleaner and healthier. The Jakarta Post reporters Benget Simbolon, A. Junaidi, Prapti Widinugraheni and K.

Women's Day should remind us of the sacrifices made By Sri Wahyuni In conjunction with today's commemoration of Women's Day, The Jakarta Post presents a series of articles on this page and page 14. JAKARTA (JP): Women have been overpowered by men for ages, kept like accessories in golden cages. The above comes from a classic Indonesian song called Sabda Alam (Destiny of Nature) but the lyrics no longer seem to hold true today.

Rp 1b for regent's re-election? From Merdeka A regent is willing to give Rp 1 billion to a psychic to see if he will be reelected. When I read the news item on this I was perplexed. It was almost unbelievable. It was too good to be true, wasn't it? Why did the official believe in the psychic's power and not his own ability? He should have known quite well whether he had been successful in leading the regency as demanded by the government.

Zhang meets Kang at Asian Matchplay JAKARTA (JP): Zhang Lian-wei of China is to meet Kang Wook- soon of South Korea in the Volvo Asian Matchplay final at the Emeralda Golf and Country Club after overcoming their semifinals contenders yesterday. Zhang defeated Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand four and three, while Kang beat another Thai golfer, Prayad Marksaeng, by one hole. Zhang's victory in the semifinals came after he thought at one stage he had lost his match.