'Five dead, 74 missing in July 27 riots' JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights announced the long awaited results of its probe into the July 27 riots in the capital, saying that five people died, 149 were injured and 74 are still missing. Commission officials said yesterday that the findings were still provisional and more input from the public would be accepted until it publishes its final report in a week or two.

Jakarta settles for 3rd place in Coke Cup SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Sofyan scored twice within a two- minute spell in the second half as Jakarta came back superbly from one goal down to beat North Sumatra 2-1 to take third place in the 11th Haornas/Coke Cup Under-16 soccer championship here yesterday.

Precautions vital to fight sexual abuse of children JAKARTA (JP): Sexual abuse of children in Indonesia has not reached the alarming levels of Thailand or the Philippines but it is important to take effective precautions to prevent it proliferating further. Sexual exploitation of children can not be overcome solely by the government and other agencies because it requires the general awareness of the whole community. But how aware are people of this problem?

Russian sends Utut reeling JAKARTA (JP): Alexander Morozevich of Russia tore Indonesian Utut Adianto's hopes of an elo rating hike apart with a 26th move victory on the final day of the Donner Memorial chess tournament in Amsterdam on Friday. It was an unhappy ending for Utut, who sought a consolation increase on his rating to 2,625 after his bid to finish among the top five in the 12-field invitational meet had failed.

RI not immune to child prostitution The World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children wound up in Stockholm yesterday. The gathering, the first of its kind on the subject, adopted a declaration and an agenda setting out the problems, challenges and measures that should be taken by states all over the world to curb the problem. To mark the event The Jakarta Post looks at the escalating problem of sexual exploitation of children in Indonesia.

Pintor Sirait displays his unconventional artworks By R. Fadjri YOGYAKARTA (JP): For Pintor Sirait, an artist should explore elements of art only. If an artist should nurture a desire to express something outside the scope of art, the essence of art will usually be clouded. Living in Bandung, West Java at the moment, Sirait has spent most of his life in Europe and in the USA. Sirait was born 34 years ago in Braunschweig, Germany.

Bad Indomie From Kompas Being a university student, I often have to eat Indomie noodles. On July 28, I bought a packet of chicken-flavored Indomie from a shop at Darmaga, Bogor. When I cooked it the following day, I happened to notice that the expiry date on the package was June 19, which meant that the stuff was no longer good for consumption. Now there are two things to think about. First, Indofood company does not monitor its products that are already on the market.

Desperate children expose the dark side of their lives JAKARTA (JP): Living on the street may be one of the most grisly ways for children to learn about sex, but it's a reality which they have to accept to survive. Despite the worthy opinions of experts and officials, it is the children's life stories which are most instructive.

Six more hostages freed in Irian Jaya JAKARTA (JP): Six more of the logging workers held hostage by separatist rebels in Irian Jaya's jungles were released yesterday, a military official said. Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifuddin said three were released in the morning, and three others in the afternoon in a military operation that involved no shooting. The six hostages were rescued by the Rajawali special forces team, which also secured the release of three on Friday afternoon.

By Primastuti Handayani Transportation problem mars Indonesian Open MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Medan is the third largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta and Surabaya. However, sheer size has little to do with hosting a big event like the Sony Badminton Indonesia Open. As was the case with the just-completed Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, which drew criticism, particularly in relation to transportation, the organizers of the Medan tournament have faced a similar barrage of complaints.

thalia spreads the gospel of soapy adulation By Dini S. Djalal Jakarta (JP): "Who wants to be my neighbor?," coos Mexican starlet Ariadna Sodi Miranda. The 5,000 fans gathered at the Jakarta Convention Center on Tuesday to see their idol screamed in ecstasy. Popularly known as Thalia, the young artist is on a publicity tour to Indonesia until Sept. 4, after eight days of being lionized in the Philippines.

Brazil spikers notch second GP victory JAKARTA (JP): Brazil reversed its 1-11 second-set deficit to nail a straight-set 15-9, 15-13, 15-7 victory over a rising Netherlands at the Women's World Volleyball Grand Prix here yesterday. It was the second win for Brazil, which on Friday downed the world best defensive team, South Korea, also in straight sets 17- 16, 16-14, 15-7.

Response on bad Indomie From Kompas In response to the complaint from Mr. Suryadi S.M. (Kompas, Aug. 28), we would like to explain that as a producer, we continually keep a close watch over the expiration dates of our products that are almost due. Two months before the expiration date, our products are gradually withdrawn from the market through our distributors, retailers and agents.

Guess What? Soni Harsono, the chief of the National Land Agency and Minister for Agricultural Affairs, knows full well what it is like to be cheated out of land deal. He was once a victim himself, he confessed. This happened long before he became a cabinet minister, Soni said this week, explaining the steps to combat land speculation and scams.

Exploring the bonds of friendship in the Baliem valley Text and photos by Rosa Widyawan WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): Wasigini sigin mauwe Dogogin sigin mauwe/ watlasug wasigin mauweweneh at hiko-hiko uwe/ weneh at hiko-hiko uwe Yamana luk sigin oue/ Wamena la raike uwe Nowawiki weaka uwe/ Amua latike uwe. Four youngsters, accompanied by four guitars and a mouth bamboo harp called pikon, chanted this poem monotonously. The lyrics express a yearning for Wamena.

Susi reclaims title as Indonesia rules the roost By Primastuti Handayani MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Susi Susanti restored her beleaguered pride with her fifth Indonesian Open title in the day, which saw home badminton players producing a clean sweep here yesterday. Defending champion Susi defied a 0-6 second-set deficit in her seesaw match against China's future star Wang Chen to post an 11- 8, 11-8 win and earn the winner's US$8,750 cash prize.

Upholding law From Sinar The Institution for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) would like to express its deep concern over the way the government handled the July 27 riots. The various measures that have been taken, including the "shoot-on-sight" order, making arbitrary arrests, re-activation of the law on subversion etc., can endanger the pillars of the nation which bases its authority on law and respect of human rights.

Icuk gets bonus after 13 years JAKARTA (JP): Former Indonesian badminton star Icuk Sugiarto has received a late bonus from a Semarang, Central Java businessman, 13 years behind schedule. Businessman Hio Song Hiong finally managed to sit together with Icuk, Indonesia's second world champion, last week to sign a document for the handing over of a 200-square-meter plot worth Rp 60 million (US$25,750) at the Bukit Sari housing complex in Semarang.