Homecoming obliterates memory of nightmare trip By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): It was dark. The only sound came from the train's wheels rolling along the track and the ceaseless rain pounding the carriage roof. Night was advancing. Ali Al Husein, 31, heaved a sigh of relief.

Servants: Can we rely on them all of our lives? By Myra Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): One of the city's leading newspapers recently carried an article to prove that servants bring profit to their employers. Having relied on servants all my life, I was happy that this article, illustrated with tables of the nature of the profit, was published. Not so a friend, who was afraid of an uprising and a demand for higher pay.

Trisutji finds herself in religious songs By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): The adzhan reverberation from nearby mosques may be heard as just the routine call for Moslems to perform their prayers, but for Trisutji Juliati Kamal, a prominent Indonesian composer, it inspires her music compositions. "I trembled when I heard the adzhan one day in l974. The sound was so beautiful yet so full of mystery. I was deeply touched.

Guess What? Never leave your wife behind when you travel, especially if you are on medication. That was a lesson Sudwikatmono, the president of PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa, learned last year. The tycoon had a stroke two months after he attended the Jimbaran meeting in Bali in August l995. The meeting involved nearly 100 top businesspeople, and resulted in the Jimbaran Declaration to alleviate poverty and support small and medium-scale businesses.

Going for broke on Idul Fitri JAKARTA (JP): It's that time again. Idul Fitri is a day away and households are doing without maids, bosses without drivers, and Jakarta will be traffic free as 3.2 million people jam Central Java's roads instead. This tradition has been going on since Noah escaped the Flood. Every Idul Fitri Indonesians living in cities go home to their villages.

SE Asia linked to Tigers COLOMBO (Reuter): A Sri Lankan rebel arms ship blown out of the water by the navy and air force on Wednesday is believed to have come from a Southeast Asian country, a senior naval officer said yesterday. "We firmly believe it came from that region," the officer told Reuters. Newspapers yesterday speculated that the vessel, carrying arms and explosives for the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), may have reached Sri Lanka from Thailand.

Lifters want to take part in Olympics JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Body Building Association has asked the National Sports Council to send lifters to the upcoming Olympic Games in Atlanta if they meet the qualifying requirements, despite proposals to send only potential medal winners.

Dutch artist displays 'Indonesia Memories' By Parvathi Nayar Narayan JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia Memories at the Erasmus Huis is based on just that -- the memories of Paul Husner and his wife, and the trips they took in Indonesia. In 1983 and 1985 they visited Sumatra and Bali. Fascinated by the musicians in Bali and by Batak statues, he made several small sketches, recording his impressions of both subjects.

Quake, tidal waves kill 10 in north Irian Jaya BIAK, Irian Jayapura (JP): At least 10 people were killed when an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale shook several coastal towns in north Irian Jaya yesterday. Reports of severe destruction came from Biak and Manokwari and many coastal villages were swept by tidal waves. Police in Biak reported 10 deaths.

Indonesia to struggle through Year of the Rat JAKARTA (JP): A local Chinese astrologer forecasts darkness for Indonesia during the Year of the Rat in 1996. "The Rat symbolizes winter and darkness. The Rat is an animal that always lives in the dark," said Asminur Soffian Uddin. According to Chinese astrology, darkness is a symbol of death. In the Year of the Rat, therefore, Indonesia will likely undergo upheaval.

Guess What? Guess who hit Bali recently? None other than Ejler Bille, the Danish painter who helped found the CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam) group of international Expressionist painters. Bille, 68, has been to Bali for eight times and has written a book about Ubud. Entitled Ubud, en by pa Bali (Ubud, A Village in Bali), the book, the result of visits to Ubud since 1972, was published three years ago.

No 'ketupat' for many Indonesian abroad By T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): Moslems across the world are busy with their spiritual and physical preparations for Idul Fitri which falls on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 this year. The Idul Fitri atmosphere is strongly felt in every corner of Indonesia. During Idul Fitri, family members gather and children bow crawl on their knees to ask forgiveness from their parents. A touching moment which often brings tears of joy.

Family Law By Dewi Anggraeni Simon steps into the chambers still elated from the weekend spent in close proximity with his new love. Paramita is not only beautiful, she is also intelligent. And what warms his heart even more is, she has a social conscience. She works for an NGO back in Central Java, specializing in educating women about their basic rights in the community. No bimbos for him. He is, after all, a young barrister with a progressive mind.

Guess What? Being a human rights activist requires patience. Activists often face patience straining situations when dealing with unsympathetic government officials. Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, the chairman of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, had to wait more than an hour before he could deliver his view on the existing Criminal Code Procedures at a hearing with House Commission III for law on Tuesday.

Being literary about ethnic Chinese By Laurel Means There are thematic similarities in the literature produced by ethnic Chinese writers in two countries -- Singapore and Canada. What first attracted me to a study of Singaporean post- colonial literature in English were striking similarities of theme and form with recent Chinese-Canadian literature. Canada, as a post-independence nation since 1886, has had to generate nation-building literature out of a British-based but multi- ethnic society.

Challenged Roosters, Enriched Rats in 1996 JAKARTA (JP): What will the Year of the Rat bring to both the Rat and the other 11 animals of the Chinese zodiac? Neil Somerville, in his book Your Chinese Horoscope 1996, provides a glimpse into the future.

Ramadhan time for Jakarta Sunday Maghrib 6:17 p.m. Monday Imsak 4:31 a.m. Subuh 4:41 a.m.

Hepburn: A more complete, compelling figure Katharine Hepburn By Barbara Leaming 549 pp Crown Publishers, Inc. Rp 110,000 (US$27.50) JAKARTA (JP): Hollywood's spin doctors could learn a lesson or two in image maintenance from Katharine Hepburn. Now 89, Hepburn is generally regarded as America's greatest living actress and is a perennial member of polls of the most admired women.

Thousands of Idul Fitri revellers stranded JAKARTA (JP): Eleven people have been killed in series of traffic accidents on Java's northern coast (Pantura) routes as motorists struggled to reach their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri. The first accident took place in Batang, Central Java, on Friday morning when an Adi Mulya bus hit a truck, leaving nine people killed. Two other people were killed in other accidents yesterday. Details of the incidents have yet to be announced.

Boyfriends, a wife's privilege JAKARTA (JP): I would not have realized the vivacious wit of my garbage man, or what an interminable, unflagging walking and talking encyclopedia my gardener was, had Idul Fitri not rolled around and taken my maids to their hometowns. These guys are what my wife refers to as "her boyfriends".

Impolite policeman From Kompas On the afternoon of Feb. 16, after my office, located on Jl. Damai, Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, was closed, my two friends and I decided to go home by bajaj (three-wheel motorized pedicab) using an alternative road because the main road to our home in Grogol was inundated by the flood. Near Citraland, the bajaj was suddenly stopped by policemen from the Tanjung Duren sector. They checked the vehicle papers.

Chinese New Year is a family affair In conjunction with Chinese New Year's Day, The Jakarta Post is running a series of articles on tomorrow's celebrations in Jakarta. Related stories and Chinese horoscopes follow on Page 6. JAKARTA (JP): Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Day. The date is fixed in accordance with the Chinese lunar calendar. According to the World Book of Encyclopedia, this calendar began in 2637 BC, the year in which the legendary Emperor Huangdi supposedly invented it.

KL plans Asia's biggest cycling race KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia will hold Asia's biggest cycling event, a tour around peninsular Malaysia offering US$400,000 in prize money, organizers said yesterday. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will flag off Le Tour de Langkawi on Feb. 29 on the northern island of Langkawi and the race will end 10 days later on the island after traveling through major towns on the peninsula.

Local products From Neraca It is impossible for the Indonesian government to stop the flood of foreign products by imposing high import taxes. Such an effort is out of date. Encouraging the public to love local products and buy fewer foreign items is a better policy. In the Fourth Development Cabinet, there was a state minister for the promotion of local products (UP3DN). Then, Ginandjar Kartasasmita and his office conducted many campaigns to promote local products.

Two die as boat overturns CILACAP, Central Java (JP): Two people were killed and seven are still missing after a barge carrying 15 passengers overturned when it was hit by a strong current while crossing the Cimeneng River, near Sitihinggil village, yesterday. The passengers were residents of Bulaksari village on their way home after doing Idul Fitri shopping. The rope-propelled barge was the only means of crossing the river because the bridge was destroyed by recent floods.