List of taxi companies in Greater Jakarta and the number of taxis permitted to operate ---------------------------------------------------- No.

Better taxi services sought In a metropolis like Jakarta, taxis are as important as other public transportation means. The number of cabbies has increased in line with growing development. The taxi business is flourishing, but demands for better services grow. The Jakarta Post's reporters Stevie Emilia, Sugianto Tandra, Ridwan M. Sijabat, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, Arief Suhardiman, T. Sima Gunawan and Benget Simbolon Tnb.

Australian waste due here JAKARTA (JP): A Melbourne-based company, Non Ferral Pty. Ltd., is accused of trying to dump hazardous waste in Indonesia. The company has sent two containers to Indonesia and there are allegations one contains hazardous waste in the form of lead and zinc, Mas Achmad Santosa, chairman of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, quoted Greenpeace Australia as saying. "The waste is scheduled to arrive at Tanjung Priok port tomorrow," he told The Jakarta Post.

Asian, European ministers set modalities for dialog By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat SINGAPORE (JP): Asian and European foreign ministers hammered out the modalities for political dialog between the two regions here yesterday, agreeing to avoid bilateral issues and "finger pointing" during debates. Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas argued the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process should eschew irrelevant issues or debates being tackled in other forums.

Crisis center established to help domestic violence victims JAKARTA (JP): The establishment of a women's crisis center might be good news for some, but bad news for the cynics. It is good news for those who, in their confusion and pain of enduring domestic abuse, have no one to turn to. Cynics, however, might lament that a crisis center, after all, is established to intensify the deep wounds caused by domestic violence. Domestic violence is a public secret.

Pets not only need good food, but proper healthcare By T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): Jacko loves rice and meat. In fact, he loves both so much that he doesn't mind having the same menu every day. This is not surprising at all, because Jacko is a bulldog. "He eats two plates of rice and two ounces of meat every day," Jacko's owner, Ida Sunar Indarti, said. In addition, Jacko also takes a multivitamin pill daily.

Women often silent in the face of domestic violence By Gedsiri Suhartono JAKARTA (JP): That morning, Nita (not her real name) came to work with two black eyes for the third time since she began working here last year. "I slipped on the bathroom floor again," she told her coworkers. One colleague, who was observant enough to notice her bluff, took Nita out to lunch and inadvertently asked her if she had been beaten by her husband.

Guess What? Joop Ave A slip of the tongue can also happen to a minister. Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave experienced this when he spoke to reporters during his recent visit to the ongoing construction of an athletes village at the former shooting range in Senayan, Central Jakarta. Joop said Indonesia must remember its former athletes who won international tournaments. He suggested that the underwriting consortium name some suites after national athletes.

RI to face tough challenge from Malaysia in Asia JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will face tough competition from Malaysia and South Korea at the A King Asia Cup badminton championship this week. The three countries are the favorites to win the championship at the Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23. Their chances have improved since China withdrew from the championship because of internal problems between the Badminton Association of China and its players.

Better security needed for Jakarta taxi drivers By Ridwan M. Sijabat JAKARTA (JP): The body of Syamsul Bahri, a 40-year-old President taxi driver, was found in a secluded spot in Bekasi last October. His taxi was discovered three kilometers away. Rasidami, a 40-year-old Kosti Jaya taxi driver, died following a struggle with a 16-year-old youth who robbed him of a small amount of money.

Woman enjoys a taxi driver's life JAKARTA (JP): What is rare always draws one's attention. And this is indeed true in the case of Detty Marni. Being a female taxi driver, she always gets the same question from curious passengers about why she is doing her job. Consequently, she has to tell the same story over and over again. "I never dreamed of being a taxi driver," she said. "I took the job because I like kelayaban (going out)." The best thing she likes about the job is the freedom.

'Bakpia Patuk': A delicacy from Yogyakarta By Idayanie and R. Fadjri YOGYAKARTA (JP): During the holiday season, local tourists are not only found on Jl. Malioboro, the city's famous boulevard. The surrounding area is packed with cars from Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya and other provinces as well. Among the places frequently visited is Kampong Patuk, one kilometer west of the boulevard. Here in Kampong Patuk, domestic tourists will shop for a typical Yogyakartan tidbit, bakpia.

Blue Bird group inspired by a fairy tale By Stevie Emilia JAKARTA (JP): Some people have been influenced by the fairy tales they read in their childhood to the point where they can never forget them. That is the case with the founder of the Blue Bird Group. Mutiara Fatimah Djokosoetono chose the name for her company from a story about a blue bird answering a poor girl's wishes for a better life. Indeed, her wishes came true.

Myths surround traditional dragger By Rosa Widyawan JAKARTA (JP): The kris is a traditional dagger found in Sumatra, Java, Bali and other islands of the archipelago. People wear kris in different ways. Most Sumatrans wear kris in front of their bodies and slip them in their belts. But the Javanese manner of wearing a kris is to strap it on the backside. Javanese also refer to kris as wingkingan, because it is worn wingking (back side).

Consumers choose their favorite taxis By Sugianto Tandra JAKARTA (JP): Asking people which taxi company they prefer is the same as asking them about their favorite food or clothes -- the answers are too varied. Similarly, when people were asked to relate their experiences with taxis, responses were also diverse. Benjamin Budiono, an assistant manager at a branch of Citibank, travels to and from work by taxi. His rule of thumb for selecting taxis is simple: "Pick the blue taxis.

Indonesia wins NEC Cup bridge in Japan JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's men's team wrote another success bridge story when it won the NEC Cup championship in Tokyo Friday. It was the second victory since the Indonesian team won the Australia Open last month by beating the favorites, the host team. Indonesia's top pairs, Henky Lasut/Eddy Manoppo and Denny Sacul/Taufik Asbi defeated Japan's H Hisatomi/T Teramoto, D Chen/H Abe and K Tatai/T Hara 216-105 VPs.

Jakarta's taxis: A tall story By Clay Lucas JAKARTA (JP): The average Jakarta taxi has enough headroom for the average Indonesian, but this causes problems for those of us who are much taller. Being 195 centimeters tall has its benefits; riding in Jakarta's taxis is not one of them. As a regular taxi user, I have become an expert on which taxis give you room to move and which give you a pain in the neck. Let us begin with Citra. A fantastic taxi company.

Pensioners' salaries From Kompas Bearing in mind that crimes are rampant as reported in the media, I am very concerned about the fate of pensioners. Everybody knows pensioners collect their salaries at a certain place every month. They often have to line up and take their pay home at their own risk. Therefore, for the sake of security and convenience, it would be wise for the government to transfer their salaries to their respective bank accounts.

Analyzing election rallies in S'pore By Derek da Cunha What you don't see or hear could well be more significant than what you do. SINGAPORE: One of the talking points during Singapore's recent nine-day election campaign was the size of crowds at the rallies organized by the various political parties. Many people remarked that, contrary to popular belief, Singaporeans were far from an apathetic lot, judging by the numbers flocking to the rallies.

Application for RI citizenship From Kompas An elderly man has had a hard time processing his Indonesian citizenship document. In 1996, the government facilitated the application for Indonesian citizenship for those foreign nationals who have lived in this country throughout their life, but they would still have to complete the necessary documents.

Election election results not unexpected, but... The recent Singapore General Election gave the ruling party a solid mandate, but certain nagging issues will not go away. Chua Beng Huat examines some of these. SINGAPORE: Throughout 1996, Singaporeans waited for the long- anticipated General Election (GE). The People's Action Party (PAP) appeared to be waiting for favorable conditions to prevail before calling the GE.

President Ziang's visit boosts Sino-Indian ties By Dipankar Banerjee The recent visit of the Chinese President to India helped to improve relations. SINGAPORE: A ceremonial 21-gun salute welcomed Mr. Jiang Zemin at the forecourt of Lutyen's Vice Regal Palace in New Delhi, marking the first ever visit to India by a Chinese President.

'Evita' lacks depth, but oozes with Madonnaness By Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan JAKARTA (JP): When it first hit Broadway in 1978, Evita was hailed as the most cinematic of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals. Despite that label, it has taken nearly two decades and a score of unsuccessful directors no less than Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Attenborough and Oliver Stone, for the story to make the stage-to-screen transition.

Holistic remedies for mother earth An Earth-saving Revolution: A Means to Resolve Our World's Problems through Effective Microorganisms; By Teruo Higa; Translated into English by Anja Kanal; Sunmark Publishing Inc. 1996; 336 pages. JAKARTA (JP): "At this moment in time, the earth is sick, very sick," writes Teruo Higa. The planet is suffering from environmental degradation and this fact has been depicted by authors, philosophers and scientists for decades.

Mothers and babysitters have love-hate relationship By Yenni Kwok JAKARTA (JP): To have or to not to have babysitters, that is the question for many mothers from the middle- to upper-classes who work outside the home. Take the 37-year-old Shirley Kakiailatu for example. When her first child was born, neither she nor her husband could afford to quit their jobs to stay home with the baby. Because their relatives live far away, they had nobody to turn to.

Opposition demands probe into Kim's son SEOUL (Reuter): South Korea's opposition party demanded yesterday a probe into a son of President Kim Young-sam in connection with the Hanbo Scandal. Local media reported more than 10,000 books written by Hyun- chul, the second son of President Kim, were found in a warehouse of Hanbo Steel Co.