Freeport suit withdrawn JAKARTA (Reuter): An Indonesian tribal leader said yesterday he had withdrawn the US$6 billion class action suit brought in his name against Freeport-McMoRan Inc. because it was filed by an American lawyer without his consent.The suit, filed in U.S.

Drug addicts share their experiencesBy K. Basrie and Soeryo Winoto JAKARTA (JP): Ecstasy addicts can enjoy themselves fully only if there's dancing, music, crowds, peppermint gum, certain tonic water products and liters of water.

Golf Academy introduced at Serpong Country Club JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's first golf academy is aimed at teaching beginners the fundamentals of the game."The purpose of the academy is to teach more people how to play golf and to improve their technical skills," said Jim Stanley, general manager of...

The hot debate of a car pool JAKARTA (JP): With the three-in-one road rule refusing to go away, car pools are gradually taking hold. This, no doubt, makes traveling by car colorless. Yet car rides, shared or otherwise, have an irresistible allure.This car pool was one of five.

A trip to the Thousand Islands on the 'Awani' JAKARTA (JP): I'm eight years old. On March 20, I went to the Thousand Islands on this ship. DAY ONE:We went to our rooms. Afterwards, we went to the Duty Free Shop. Next to the Duty Free Shop was a children's play area. There was a video game place.

Increasing globalization erases national individualityBy Graham Best JAKARTA (JP): I came to work in Indonesia because I wanted to experience something different. Like many or even most people in Britain I knew nothing about this country. It was, I thought, a single tropical island near Malaysia.

Guees What? Working in the tourism industry is not always fun for women. Some people believe that women working in the tourism sector also serve as escorts."That is not true," says Rae Sita Supit, vice president of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agency.

Cruise ship makes waves as the latest holiday hotspotText by T. Sima Gunawan and photos by Arief Hidayat JAKARTA (JP): "Welcome aboard," a woman in a smart, freshly- pressed white uniform greeted the passengers as they stepped onto the cruise ship.It was Monday evening.

RI fields 35 drivers in Medan World Rally JAKARTA (JP): In a bid to hold off the domination of marauding world rally winners, host Indonesia will field 35 of its best drivers in the Bank Utama World Rally Championships in Medan, North Sumatra, from May 10 to May 12.

Drugs addiction leads to cmoplex social problemsBy T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): The abuse of narcotics, psychotropic and other addictive substances affects not only physical and mental health, but can also create complex social problems.

TV todayTVRI 6:00 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:25 Morning Focus 6:45 Healthy and Fit 7:00 Morning News 7:30 TV Series: Grandizer 8:00 Science Film 8:30 Information 9:00 English News Service 9:30 Focus: People and Event 10:00 Music: Album Minggu Ini 11:00 Stories for Children 11:30...

Widayat and the decorative realm of magic realismBy Parvathi Nayar Narayan JAKARTA (JP): On the 140-metre-long canvas, Widayat has filled up 40 metres with Chinese ink. He is creating the story of his life and he works on it when he needs a break from his work, the latest examples of which are...

Poor performances dominate second invitational meet JAKARTA (JP): Mediocre performances dominated the second Bob Hasan track and field invitational meet held at Senayan yesterday evening.Europeans and Americans were the kings and the queens of the meet which saw female javelin thrower Lee Young Sun...

ASEAN must act not just react to challengesBy Bilson Kurus If ASEAN does not take a more proactive approach to international affairs, it faces a difficult future. If there is to be a concise phrase which would arguably serve both as a critique of and a challenge for ASEAN as it heads towards the...

Hospital helps cure drug addicts, alcoholicsBy Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): One chilly night, a rich middle-aged couple rushed their teenage son to a hospital. He was in critical condition from an overdose of narcotics.

Keeping the body resilient in old ageBy Djoeweriah Poorwo S. JAKARTA (JP): It's alarming how frequently elderly women slip and fall. A bruised leg, shoulder or hip is unfortunate, but a broken hip could be disastrous.

Bali's Hindu culture: A dying phenomenon?By Putu Wirata SANUR, Bali (JP): Karaoke, the newest form of music entertainment on the local scene, has spread its tentacles as far as Bali, where no less than five establishments on Jl. Raya Ngurah Rai, Sanur, are doing brisk business.

Hero's insecure parking lotFrom Pikiran RakyatOn April 12, 1996 I entered the parking lot of Hero Maskumambang and went shopping. This took only 20 minutes. When I returned to my car I found that my car had been broken into.

Rehabilitation center helps youngsters kick the habitBy T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): Everything is free here. Students don't have to pay for their tuition, training, food and boarding during their year-long study program.

Campaign continues against Ecstasy JAKARTA (JP): There is no law which explicitly bans Ecstasy, a stimulant which is becoming more popular among young Indonesians who want to have fun. It is excluded in a 1976 law on narcotics and is not in the Ministry of Health's list of prescription drugs.