Executive class train tickets on sale JAKARTA (JP): Passengers wishing to board the Sembrani Executive Class train heading from Jakarta to Surabaya can now buy tickets at railway stations in Jakarta and surrounding areas (Jabotabek) as part of the state-run railway company Perumka's effort to improve services, a Perumka official says. "The services will be effective as of April 1 and the public can order the tickets a week in advance," Eddy Sasongko said here on Saturday as quoted by Antara.

Subdistrict head takes bribery JAKARTA (JP): The subdistrict head of Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta, has allegedly forced residents to give him 1.5 percent of the compensation money they received for their property, which has been appropriated for an outer ring road project. The residents claim that the subdistrict head, identified only as Abd. Cha, refuses to sign the documents necessary for the residents to claim their payments until he is compensated, Antara reported Saturday.

Labor law needs revising, legal expert proposes DEPOK, West Java (JP): Indonesia's labor laws should be revised to provide the country's women workers with proper legal protection, a legal expert proposed on Saturday. Suliati Rachmat, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's School of Law, said that the Law No. 12/1948 on employment is outdated and no longer relevant.

Shopping From Merdeka I like shopping in supermarkets not only because they are nice and cool but because one doesn't have to bargain. All the goods have fixed prices and sometimes the prices are lower than in traditional markets. But be careful if you take your children along. They may take some items -- chocolate, candies, biscuits or their favorite drinks -- without your knowing, which could throw off your budget.

W. Sumatra on literacy campaign PADANG, West Sumatra: All people between the ages of 10 and 44 in the province will be able to read, write and speak the Indonesian language by 1999, a local official said Saturday. More than 150,000 people aged between 10 and 44 have become literate since the local government embarked on a literacy campaign in 1983, said M. Nasir, an official from the provincial education and culture ministry office here.

E. Timor dialog calls for mutual contributions By Aboeprijadi Santoso STADT-SCHLAINING, Austria (JP): Participants at the All- Inclusive Intra-East Timor Dialog issued a declaration calling for the establishment of a Timorese cultural center and Lisbon's assistance in developing the province's human resources.

Peter aspires to be a top tennis player JAKARTA (JP): More and more Indonesian parents can afford to send their children abroad to study nowadays. But how many will agree to finance their children's choice of an elite sports program? Sixteen-year-old Peter Handoyo is lucky that his parents understand his dream and even luckier that his parents can afford the tuition at Van der Meer Tennis University in South Carolina, USA. "I really want to be a professional tennis player someday.

Australia will pursue closer relations with RI BANDUNG, West Java (JP): Senior envoys from Indonesia and Australia expect little change in the relationship between the two countries despite the advent of a new government in Canberra. "Of course there will be some change but it won't be as dramatic as some people worry about," said Indonesia's former ambassador to Australia Sabam Siagian.

Abolition of levies slashes port revenues JAKARTA (JP): The government's plans to cut back levies may slash the revenues of state-owned PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III, which oversees major ports in the eastern part of the country, by up to Rp 600 million (US$256,850) this year. Pelabuhan III President Frans Masengi said the removal of a number of legal fees starting next month will most likely take place in major ports in South Kalimantan which are overseen by the firm.

W. Java military warns poll watchdog JAKARTA (JP): Military authorities in West Java will ban the newly formed Independent Election Monitoring Committee from operating in its province if it interferes with the workings of the official state committee. Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi, chief of the Siliwangi Regional Military Command that oversees security in West Java, warned on Saturday that the independent body must not act in "opposition" to the government.

Goh to visit U.S. alma mater SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's controversial face-off with critics at his alma mater in the United States sparked an abiding interest in Asia and Asian studies on the campus, the college president said. Harry Payne, president of Williams College, said in remarks published by The Sunday Times that Goh's trip to receive an honorary doctorate had kicked off a spirit of learning he had not seen for some time at the institution.

Public telephones From Jayakarta There are now many public telephones in the city, even on small streets. Unfortunately, on Jl. Nangka, Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, there is only one public telephone at the end of the road. The road is very long and I have to walk almost 500 meters just to make a phone call. Our neighborhood is very densely populated and more public telephones are essential since most do not have telephones in their homes. I hope PT Telkom looks into the matter. NARTI S. Jakarta

Kalimantan forest From Republika The forests of Kalimantan serve as the lungs of the world. Therefore everyone is in some measure dependent on Kalimantan forests. But I feel there's something wrong with the government's policy on the forests. I know from personal observation that hundreds of millions of hectares of forest in Kalimantan have been destroyed without being replanted. Lately a plan to clear a large forest area for oilpalm plantation has been discussed. This would be a big mistake.

'Bemo' treatment unfair From Bisnis Indonesia It is good that the government is going to abolish outdated bemo vehicles and replace them with a new form of public transportation. However, how can the government justify giving only Rp 500,000 in compensation money to each bemo driver for his vehicle when the market price is Rp 6 million? What is going to happen to the unused bemo and, more importantly, to the bemo drivers? CHEW G.H. Jakarta

Frustration in Irian Jaya From Merdeka I was not surprised to learn about the riot that broke out in Irian Jaya on March 18. I know the type of life the people there have as I lived in Jayapura (formerly Soekarnopura) from 1964 to 1965. Then the population of Jayapura was small. In 1965, however, dozens of Irianese took to the street to protest their unfair treatment by the central government. The Irianese were full of anti-outsider sentiment.

City authorities seal brothel in Pejompongan JAKARTA (JP): A 300-member security team closed down yesterday a 2,800-square-meter brothel in the Pejompongan area, Central Jakarta, throwing 150 prostitutes and 25 of the brothel's managers out of work. The red-light district was closed after three warnings from the municipal administration, which is trying to bring down the number of prostitutes in the city.

Woman dies on haj journey JAKARTA: A woman from Jakarta died yesterday of a heart attack on her flight to Mecca, where she was to perform the haj pilgrimage. The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday that Ani binti Tileng died shortly before her plane touched down at the King Abdul Aziz airport in Jeddah. Meanwhile, in Jakarta, Director General for Haj Affairs Ahmad Gozali reported that all available chartered planes will be able to carry the country's prospective pilgrims.

No squatters in Dobo cemetery JAKARTA (JP): The head of the city cemetery agency denies that 150 people are occupying the Dobo public cemetery in North Jakarta. "There are no squatters in the cemetery," he was quoted by Antara as saying on Saturday. Earlier reports said that 150 people have been living on the cemetery grounds since Jan. 8, when the city began removing bodies from the cemetery to clear the grounds for an upcoming project.

JSX to fluctuate on Taiwan's election JAKARTA (JP): Prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) are likely to fluctuate sharply due to expectations whether the presidential election in Taiwan will help ease tensions with China, analysts said. An analyst from PT Sanyo Primarindo, Roberto Toruan, told The Jakarta Post that many fund managers became less active over the last few weeks in Asia as a result of the increasing tension between China and Taiwan.

Two more bodies removed from overpass rubble JAKARTA (JP): The remains of two workers were removed yesterday from the rubble of the overpass which collapsed on Friday in Grogol, West Jakarta. The body of Wandi, 25, was pulled out around 8:20 a.m. Hours later, around 2:40 p.m., the body of 35-year-old Saman, Wandi's colleague, was uncovered with his skull broken.

Three JSX director boards nominated JAKARTA (JP): The Capital Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam) is scheduled today to receive the nomination of three groups of executives as directors of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX). The agency will announce the approved nominees next month. Sources at the capital market said Friday evening that JSX members submitted Friday three packages of directorship nomination to the bourse's commissioners, who would pass them on to Bapepam today.

Automotive mart stable in spite of new policy JAKARTA (JP): Automobile prices are stable and buying patterns have not fluctuated in the capital despite a recent government policy allowing a domestic firm to produce cars without having to pay duties and luxury sales tax.

China tones down rhetoric against Taiwan BEIJING (Reuter): Beijing cooled its diatribes against victorious Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui yesterday, proposing a summit between China's communist leaders and their rivals on the island it claims as a rebel province.

Plane wreckage found in jungle BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Plane wreckage was found in a jungle in the Kejuruan Muda subdistrict in the East Aceh regency by local residents two weeks ago, a press report said yesterday. A spokesman for the East Aceh regency administration Sgt. Maj. Suharso said the authorities are still trying to determine the type and the identity of the plane's owner.

ABRI not here just to clean up DEPOK, West Java (JP): A top military official says the Armed Forces (ABRI) is no longer willing to clean up the mess left by other people's incompetence. Chief of ABRI sociopolitical affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said in a discussion with students at the University of Indonesia here Saturday that in the past ABRI had always acted as a "fire extinguisher" on social unrest. Now, however, the military "will no longer be a repressive force", he said.

RI takes single and doubles titles JAKARTA (JP): Local tennis buffs got a boost over the weekend when favorites Peter Handoyo and the women's pair of Liza Andriani and Wynne Prakusya romped home with the boy's singles and the women's doubles crowns yesterday.

Smaller firms need some help, economist says JAKARTA (JP): A senior economist suggested over the weekend that the government establish a bank with a special mission to support the development of small firms. Djisman S. Simandjuntak, executive director of the Prasetiya Mulya School of Management, said at a seminar here that with such a special mission, the proposed bank could concentrate on helping smaller firms.

East ASEAN Growth Area plan feasible MANILA (AFP): A project to link oil-rich Brunei with backward areas in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to form a growth area is feasible, but many obstacles need to be overcome, a report said. The East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA) will not soon duplicate the success of other Asian growth zones, according to the report prepared for the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Dealers raise cellular phone connection fees JAKARTA (JP): Operators of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) telecommunications view the illegal increase in fees for cellular telephone connection as a compliment for telecoms services in the country. "We see it as a compliment that our service is sold at a premium," Satelindo's general manager for marketing, Raymond C. Chatab, said. Satelindo is one of the two current operating GSM providers in Indonesia.

Victims of Abepura riot live in misery JAKARTA (JP): The more than 230 families whose businesses were hit by massive rioting in Abepura last week are badly in need of food and medicine, a local official said Saturday. Jayapura Mayor Raden Roemantyo said the families lost their livelihoods after their shops in the central Abepura market near the capital were reduced to ashes by rioters on March 18. "They are being accommodated in makeshift tents set up by the local government outside the market.

One killed in road accident BANDAR LAMPUNG: One person was killed and seven others injured, four seriously, in a collision between two trucks in Rajabasa, Bandar Lampung, on Saturday. Quoting eyewitnesses, Antara reported that the collision occurred because the two trucks, one carrying ice blocks and the other carrying workers, were racing each other. Police identified the one fatality as Katijo, 27, from Bandar Lampung. (rms)

Police press case against alleged drug trafficker JAKARTA (JP): The city police have handed over to the prosecutor's office the dossier of a foreigner charged with trafficking 800 grams of heroin, despite the suspect's claim that the police have arrested the wrong man. "We handed over the dossiers along with the suspect and the material evidence about two weeks ago to the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office," Jakarta police spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Driver's lament From Media Indonesia Traffic congestion in Jakarta is affecting productivity, the mentality of road users and the beauty of the city. With traffic backed up all around Jakarta, time and energy are wasted on the road. It takes me two hours to drive to my office, which is only 15 kilometers away from my house. The traffic situation will continue to deteriorate as the number of vehicles increases, not to mention what traffic will be like when cheap Timor cars hit the market.

Bad road From Kompas The road leading to Ciputat, South Jakarta, right in front of PT Sandratex, is badly damaged with gaping holes all over the place. This is a big obstacle to the traffic flow. Actually the traffic in Ciputat has gone from bad to worse, especially in front of PT Sandratex and in Pasar Jumat. The traffic problem in Ciputat calls for immediate action to avoid any further deterioration. ZULKARNAIN ZUBIR Jakarta