Mandela begins SE Asian tour MANILA (Reuter): South African President Nelson Mandela, accompanied for the first time on a state visit by his Mozambican sweetheart, arrived in Manila yesterday at the start of his maiden tour of southeast Asia. "This part of the world has made fantastic achievements economically and politically," Mandela told reporters.

Understanding the wisdom and the ways of the Dayak people By S. Djuweng PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): "Serve food to a guest, but give beras (raw rice) when your guest is a Malay." The proverb seems simple, but it contains profound philosophical teachings. This is the indigenous Dayak wisdom that has been passed on from generation to generation. There are two messages to be told: The first regards an open attitude, togetherness, friendship and hospitality.

Guess What? Siti Hardiyanti Hastuti Rukmana The Indonesian Volleyball Association is going yellow as its chairwoman, Siti Hardiyanti Hastuti Rukmana, better known as mbak Tutut, has promised to distribute yellow batik shirts to the organization's officials in 27 provinces.

Marginalized Dayaks violently assert their rights By Dini S. Djalal JAKARTA (JP): Ethnic conflict is the accepted catchphrase to describe the ongoing clashes between the indigenous Dayaks and the migrant Madurese in West Kalimantan, which have reduced two dozen Madurese settlements to ashen rubble. Indonesia's ambitious transmigration program, which resettles the very poor of Java and Madura to the outer provinces, is being blamed for the riots, and not without reason.

The West Kalimantan unrest, its roots and solution By R. Masri Sareb Putra JAKARTA (JP): The incident of Sanggau Ledo in West Kalimantan is unique and therefore a source of interest to many observers. Different from the Situbondo, Tasikmalaya and Rengasdengklok riots, the Sanggau Ledo unrest, which started at the end of 1996 and continued into February of this year, is extremely difficult to analyze and is giving investigators a hard time. What spawned the unrest?

Flying with 'Peter Pan' brings back childhood fantasy By Mariam K. Sutalaksana JAKARTA (JP): What would be a better way to spend the weekend with your family than to revisit the childhood fantasy of a flying boy in green, lost boys, dancers and defeatable crooks? This weekend at Taman Ismail Marzuki's Graha Bhakti Budaya, Central Jakarta, the Namarina Ballet School is performing Peter Pan, an ambitious musical combining fun music, creative sets and entertaining choreography.

W. Kalimantan tries to put tragedy behind The ethnic conflict in West Kalimantan is a great human tragedy, not only for the people affected, but also for Indonesia and its state motto of "Unity in Diversity". In the following article, and others on Page 8 and Page 9, The Jakarta Post looks at the costs inflicted and examines the conflict from Dayak and Madurese perspectives.

Effects of transmigration policy questioned By Deny Hidayati Indonesia's transmigration program could find itself in a quagmire. SINGAPORE: The conversion of forested areas for transmigration settlement has resulted in dramatic changes in Indonesia's landscape. Consequently, transmigration has become a controversial subject and a target of criticism among international and national groups, particularly non-governmental organizations.

Understanding the character of the Madurese By Sirikit Syah SURABAYA (JP): The conflict that broke out between Madurese and Dayak in West Kalimantan at the end of December and early January has drawn the concern of government officials, politicians and religious leaders. The island of Madura is known to be dry and unproductive, but is it true that the hard life in their homeland makes the Madurese a rough and tough people? The Jakarta Post spoke to H. A.

Makeup artist Tien Santoso says prayer a key to lasting marriage By Christiani S.A. Tumelap JAKARTA (JP): The most important aspect of a wedding is not the preparations and parties but prayer, a well-known makeup artist believes. Tien Santoso said that reverence and trust in God are the key to a successful wedding ceremony and lasting marriage. Praying, she said, can help ease the couple's anxieties so that both are able to manage the complicated wedding preparations.

Alexander Khalifman wins Russian Chess Championship By Kristianus Liem JAKARTA (JP): In the absence of the three K's, Kasparov, Karpov, Kramnik (three of four top chess players in the world), and reigning champion Peter Svidler, Grandmaster Alexander Khalifman, 30, from St. Petersburg, won the 49th Russian Chess Championship in Elista City, Republic of Kalmykia, in late 1996. Even without the three K's, the 1996 Russian Championship still looked strong.

Alan Budikusuma and Susi Susanti, 'Amigos Para Siempre' By Deborah P. Hutauruk and Primastuti Handayani JAKARTA (JP): "First love never dies" may sound like a cliche, but for Indonesia's badminton queen Lucia Francisca Susi Susanti, the phrase has rung true for more than 10 years. It was her first love, Alexander Alan Budikusuma, who brought her to the altar of St. Jacobus church here on Feb. 9 for what has been dubbed the "Wedding of the Year" by many members of the press.

After 'Lebaran' comes the blues JAKARTA (JP): We must admit that the past two weeks have been unusual for everybody, for those who celebrate Idul Fitri as well as those who do not. For the second group, life may be unusual because of their servants' mudik (exodus to home villages). Every housewife knows that her servants need a break. But why do they all have to go at the same time?

Can longhouses concept explain conflict? PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): In the past, and to some extent today, the Dayak live in longhouses. A banua (village) consists of several longhouses, each of which consists of two main apartments: the individual family apartment, called a bilek, and an open area called a soah. Each bilek is owned by an individual, whereas each soah is a collective part of the longhouse.

Photo studios profit from weddings By K. Basrie JAKARTA (JP): A wedding ceremony without a photographer is rare, especially in big cities. In remote areas, a pocket camera borrowed from a next-door neighbor is usually enough to document the meaningful moments of one's life. The quality and the artistic touch of the prints is not so important. The newlyweds do not have to hire a professional photographer, and need only pay for the film processing.

Outdated laws I read with interest the article Government to replace 350 laws by end of 1999 (Feb. 22). According to the article, outdated colonial Dutch laws would be replaced. I would like to suggest that the current Indonesian immigration law is one which also needs changing. The current immigration law allows foreign women married to Indonesian men to stay in Indonesia, but does not allow foreign men married to Indonesian women to stay.

Madurese refugees recount sad stories of the clashes By Ainur R. Sophiaan BANGKALAN, Madura, East Java (JP): Tadjul Anwar never thought that a brawl among youths in the district of Sanggau Ledo, Sambas regency, would rapidly deteriorate into bigger clashes that would kill many people and force him and other Madurese out of West Kalimantan.

RI diamond potential yet to be tapped By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): Say the word diamond and dazzling images of shimmering, glamorous gems will come to mind. Diamonds have been symbols of beauty, power and privilege since the precious gem was discovered thousands of years ago. For centuries, kings, queens, maharajahs, shahs and sultans put their lives and empires at stake to possess the biggest and the best diamonds.

Wedding gowns can have character By Deborah P. Hutauruk JAKARTA (JP): Accompanied by romantic music and wearing wedding dresses and evening gowns, five models swayed elegantly along an exquisitely designed stage in The Regent's ballroom. Following the latest trend and an increasing market demand, the Johnny Andrean Bridal company presented its 1997/1998 intricate and sophisticated wedding-gown collection, designed by Tina Andrean with the theme Beautiful Bride.

Parking fee plan From Merdeka If the new parking fee proposed by the Jakarta administration (DKI) was introduced at Rp 5,000 per hour as planned, it would seriously crush the "little man", or those living on a very tight budget. It might even discourage people from owning a car despite the introduction of a national car program. DKI is not the sole authority of public roads in Jakarta and car owners should therefore exercise more rights over public roads. Every year we have to pay road tax.

Tales of horror from the West Kalimantan conflict PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The death toll in the northeast of West Kalimantan may be disputed but the survivors' tales of horror from the ethnic conflict there cannot be denied. Kinok's and Aman's two children now live at their grandfather's house, not far from where Aman was slain on Feb. 2 in Pahauman, West Kalimantan. Aman owned a small shoe shop in the town. His assistant, Musa, who was married to Kinok's sister, was also killed there.

'Romeo and Juliet' is back in town By Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan JAKARTA (JP): Make no mistake, the updated version of the Bard's most famous love story is not for everyone. Still dizzied by the success of his hip crowd-pleaser Strictly Ballroom, writer-director Baz Luhrmann audaciously calls the film William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when in effect it looks more like Bastardization of the Bard.

Firms target young Internet users By Yenni Kwok JAKARTA (JP): He is purple, wears a bandana and a pair of funky sunglasses. If you are thinking of Barney, the purple dinosaur, you are wrong. Meet Diffy the Spider, an inhabitant of the World Wide Web. The site is Diffy's World, http://www.diffy.com. Unlike its elder sister D-net, Diffy's World has a younger target market: those aged from 13 to 25 years old.

Malaysia to train cabbies KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia plans to send taxi-drivers on a course to make them more endearing to passengers, the national Bernama news agency reported yesterday. The three-day course for cabbies in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, due to start in April, aims to enhance their knowledge and discipline and raise the quality of their service, Bernama quoted Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board secretary Musa Taib as saying.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:25 Morning news 6:45 Healthy and Fit 7:00 News 7:30 TV Series: Speed Racer 8:00 Women's Program: Tata Busana 8:30 Information 9:00 English News Service 9:30 People and Events 10:00 Music: Album Minggu Ini 11:00 Children's Story: Cerita Untuk Anak 11:30 Comedy: Ria Jenaka 11:45 Sports: Dari Gelanggang Ke Gelanggang 12:45 p.m.

PPP central board okays election campaign boycott JAKARTA (JP): The Central Executive Board of the United Development Party (PPP) has given the go-ahead for a plan by some of its regional branches to boycott the general election campaign, which starts next month. PPP Secretary-General Tosari Wijaya told Antara that if the branches felt that they could not organize the campaigns because of the strict regulations, then they did not have to.

Rano Karno releases first solo album By K. Basrie JAKARTA (JP): Actor, film director and singer Rano Karno released his new album, Kuingin (I want to), last weekend, 21 years after his last effort hit the market. All but one of the nine slow pop songs on the album, arranged and directed by Gilang Ramadhan, are about love. The 37 year old, who has starred in numerous movies and recorded many duet albums since he was a teenager, carefully set the launching date of his album.

Lubis still committed to rights agenda By T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): Ask any American about the significance of July 4, and the answer will be: American Independence Day. But ask Todung Mulya Lubis the same question and he'll say: It's my birthday. Lubis was born on July 4, 1949 in Muara Botung, North Sumatra. After completing high school in Medan in 1968, he went to the University of Indonesia (UI), in Jakarta, and graduated from the university's School of Law in 1974.

A brief history of famous diamonds JAKARTA (JP): Diamonds are now part of the romantic lives of young lovers all around the world. But in the past, owning great gems was the right of the rulers, kings and queens that had the wealth and power to buy or seize precious jewels. The entire concept of diamond ownership changed dramatically in the l800s with the rise of democracy, salaries to pay, the Industrial Revolution and huge diamond discoveries in Africa.

Hayono's office to get an operational board JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman indicated that his office is to have an operational board to support its function in developing sports. After the four-day National Sports Coordinating Meeting and the National Sports Conference, Hayono said Friday that most participants had given their vote to this option over two others.

Jajang C. Noor becomes film director By Marselli Sumarno JAKARTA (JP): Women film directors are scarce in Indonesia. Ida Farida is one among the few. Some are nonactive, or, like Sofia W. D., have died. Now, Jajang C. Noer, 42, has declared herself a director. The widow of prominent theater/film director Arifin C. Noer has been involved since December 1996 in the production of the 10-episode TV miniseries Bukan Perempuan Biasa (No Ordinary Woman).