On racism In response to Masli Arman's response (Racism revisited, The Jakarta Post, April 23, 1996) to Arief Budiman's April 19 article in the Post, I would like to stress -- as Masli Arman did -- the right of self-determination, especially for Indonesia's indigenous population. Especially striking to me was his comparison between indigenous American Indians and Indonesia natives.

Timor car may cause cuts at Toyota's local plants JAKARTA (JP): Top Japanese auto maker Toyota Motor Corp. said in Tokyo yesterday that it is planning to cut production in Indonesia due to Jakarta's national car policy. Toyota officials in Jakarta, however, denied it by saying that the company had not cut vehicle production and had no plans to slash production in the near future.

Tambang Timah's profits up 91% in first quarter JAKARTA (JP): Publicly-listed state-owned tin mining firm PT Tambang Timah recorded a 91 percent increase in net profits to Rp 39.4 billion (US$16.8 million) in the first quarter of this year from Rp 20.6 billion in the same period of last year. The company said in a statement issued yesterday that the jump in profit was a result of increased tin prices on the international market, increased sales volume and decreasing production costs.

McRae takes narrow lead in Medan Rally By Robert Soelistyo PARAPAT, North Sumatra (JP): Braving the rain, a wet track and slippery roads, Scotland's Colin McRae took a narrow overnight lead after the first nine stages in the FIA World Rally Championships concluded here yesterday. After securing a narrow advantage in the first Special Stage (SS), the Scot dropped to third after the second SS but recaptured the lead after the fifth SS and never looked back.

Paul Keating to maintain lobby with Asian leaders (2) This is the second of two articles based on an exclusive interview with former Australian prime minister Paul Keating by Ratih Hardjono, the Sydney-based correspondent of the Kompas daily. Question: Do you think the current government can continue what you have built up? Answer: I hope I have been able to create a climate that makes this an imperative and that the country is advanced in this way.