RI pop music goes ethnic: A hope or just a trend? By Achmad Nurhoeri JAKARTA (JP): Trekking through Indonesia's developing popular music sometimes prompts a hopeful smile. In the blizzard of the Americanization of popular music, more Indonesian pop artists are giving their work a touch of identity from the rich collection of Indonesian culture and the thousands of ethnic groups that are scattered around the archipelago. But there is fear that it is just a trendy mirage that will fade in time.

Scooters that time almost forgot roar on the street again Like Volkswagen beetle and Harley Davidson motorcycle buffs, scooter owners are now racing each other to dress up their vehicles. Scooter clubs, which disappeared for years, are roaring back in many big cities. K. Basrie of The Jakarta Post filed this report after meeting with scooter enthusiasts in Bandung and Jakarta.

East Flores regency hopes to exploit tourism potential Text and photos by Yacob Herin LARANTUKA, Flores (JP): Tourism in East Flores is marked by a wealth of natural and cultural attractions. Many sites in the mountainous and coastal areas have great potential. The tradition of catching whales has existed for centuries at Lamalera village on Lembata island.

YKCI works for copyright protection, remuneration By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): Do you want to listen to the latest song by your favorite band but have no money to buy the cassette or CD? No problem. Just tune in a radio station, request the song, and you'll have it for free. Radio stations spend lots of money on cassettes and CDs, but did you also know they pay the artists?

The headache of customary regulations in Gianyar By Putu Wirata DENPASAR (JP): The body of Ni Wayan Pasek, 55, had been in the house for more than one month. The head of the desa adat (traditional village) would not allow the family to bury the deceased in the cemetery due to a dispute over the Pura Shanti temple in their village of Tibakauh, Payangan subdistrict, Gianyar regency. The family of the deceased claimed the temple was theirs, while the village head said it belonged to the village.

Fariz is back after all the 1980s hits By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): There are many roads for musicians to explore today. Fariz Roestam Moenaf, a well-known whizkid-pop musician in the 1980s, is one of those who has taken a different road to build a new career. Do not be surprised if you spot him in a meeting room, surrounded by people in their best tailored business suits or creative people from advertising agencies in their colorful work outfits.

Maid life not an easy option for village girls By Rosa Widyawan JAKARTA (JP): Housemaids are critical in a household in which both the husband and wife work. Child care, the management of daily expenses, gardening and dish washing are just a handful of the matters handled by housemaids. Most housemaids in Jakarta are from cities in Central Java like Brebes, Magelang, Purwodadi and Surakarta.

RI workers in HK need legal protection HONG KONG (JP): When Ina, 25, left home in rural East Java, she chose to work in Hong Kong instead of one of the other migrant worker destinations, such as Saudi Arabia or Malaysia. "Hong Kong is the only country that has good protection for workers," she said. Yes and no. True, Hong Kong has union-related laws for domestic workers. These laws guarantee the right to organize, go on strike and engage in collective bargaining.

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 Fashion: 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 1:15 p.m.

TV, TV on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? JAKARTA (JP): The singer, mini-skirted and heavily made-up, was basking in the on-screen attention. Her duet partner crooned sweetly to her, and she responded with a sexy shake of her hips. But when the camera encircled her, her glamorous image melted. The sheerness of her blouse revealed a dangling price tag underneath.

International record labels plan to court local talent By Dini S. Djalal JAKARTA (JP): The competition in Indonesia's pop music industry is heating up, but surviving the competition offers considerable rewards. Indonesia currently accounts for 35 percent of sales growth in Asia, raking in staggering retail sales in the first six months of 1996 of US$163 million.

Simple yet aesthetic, the photos of Boediardjo By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): In the past, I used to see Boediardjo taking pictures with his Leica at cultural events in Jakarta. However, until recently, I had never seen his photographs. When I was asked to write a short article for a book of his photographs last year, I finally saw his photographs. As it turned out, Pak Boed's photographs reflected his highly observant perspective in choosing subjects to photograph.

A fragment of Indonesia in Vietnam By Dewi Anggraeni HO CHI MINH CITY (JP): If you met Mohamach Abdoula in a restaurant in town and heard him speak Vietnamese fluently and flawlessly, it would never occur to you to tell him apart from other local gentlemen around. He has the fair complexion and the slim build of every second good looking young man in Ho Chi Minh City. Mohamach, however, is not a full blooded Vietnamese. In fact, technically he is not Vietnamese.

Ade Rai dreams of opening up gym for juniors By Primastuti Handayani JAKARTA (JP): The name I Gusti Agung Rai Kusuma Yudha may mean nothing to sports lovers, but if they knew that it was the real name of Ade Rai they would surely respond differently. Ade is the country's top bodybuilder at 27 years old. An idol of many women, he is young, gorgeous, smart, friendly and well- educated. Never before has a bodybuilder in Indonesia had so many fans.

Bre-X stock plummets amid new twists TORONTO (Reuter): The saga of Bre-X Minerals Ltd. and its rich Indonesian gold discovery took another twist on Friday as doubts about the Busang deposit and the mysterious death of its chief geologist pushed investors to dump the stock. Trading in shares in the Calgary, Alberta-based prospector was initially halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange after an Indonesian newspaper said a review by Busang partner Freeport- McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

Defector Hwang safe in RP MANILA (Reuter): Top North Korean defector Hwang Jang-yop is under heavy guard in a safe place, eats Korean dishes prepared by a specially hired cook and spends his time watching cable TV, senior Philippine military officers said yesterday.

Guess What? Exotic-looking models are hot at the moment. "I'm now finishing my TV show," said Kintan Umari. But she's not actually on the show. She is the producer and MC of the fashion program called Kaya Gaya, which RCTI will start airing on April 5. It's not only the show which is keeping the 26-year-old busy. "I plan to get married on May 1," said Kintan, who holds a bachelor of arts in Russian from the University of Indonesia.

'Kantata Samsara': The music of Power By Franki Raden JAKARTA (JP): When hard rock and underground music in the West brought about social reformation movements in the 1960s, Indonesian youngsters reacted spontaneously. Local musicians had yet to place rock music in a social context, but soon after they flourished in a wave of reformation.

'The English Patient', a mosaic of meditative aspects By Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan JAKARTA (JP): Europeans have been known to leave their cold and structured homelands for the North African desert, ultimately to deal with lost loves, painful love, the fear that new loves would be impossible to find. Casablanca and The Sheltering Sky have both spoken of adulterous passion that blossoms amid the vast emptiness of the Sahara, where one is always surrounded by lost history.

Home favorite Kasiyadi reatain title by one stroke By Robert Soelistyo SURABAYA (JP): Home favorite and defending champion Kasiyadi earned his billing as the country's leading golfer yesterday when he won the Bukit Darmo Golf Championship by one stroke with a four-round, 8-under-par total of 280. The back-to-back victories makes the 37-year-old Kasiyadi Rp 13.5 million richer. The prize was presented by Hendro Sumampow, owner of PT Adhibaladhika Agung which manages and owns the golf course.

GM Michael Adams smashes Morovic in six-game match By Kristianus Liem JAKARTA (JP): Grandmaster Michael Adams, the second best player in Britain after Nigel Short, smashed Chilean Grandmaster Ivan Fernandez Morovic 4.5-1.5 in a six-game match in Santiago, Chile, between Jan. 16 and Jan 22. Adams, who has a 2,665 Elo rating, started well by winning the first round after Morovic horribly misplaced a rook in taking Adams' a-file pawn. This was followed by three draws.

AB Three don't want to be young forever JAKARTA (JP): If there is a will, there is a way, and with a pinch of luck, one will probably stay. For the young and energetic singing trio AB Three, their strong will and bags of luck have definitely led them on the right path to fame and fortune. Enough for a long journey. Once amateur singers, Lusy Rachmawaty, Riafinola Ifani and Widi Mulia were fortunate that their combined willpower saw them through when opportunity knocked.

Indonesian pop music goes pop By Dini S. Djalal The Indonesian music industry is booming, with a bunch of young artists trying their luck in the business. But they can not always play merry tunes as climbing the stairway of success is not easy. The Jakarta Post's contributors, Dini S. Djalal, Achmad Nurhoeri, Franki Raden and Helly Minarti, write a series of articles on the industry on this page, page 2 and page 11.

Low pay awaits Indonesian workers in Hong Kong Finding a job is not always easy. Some have to leave their family and homelands to try their luck abroad. Yenni Kwok, a contributor to The Jakarta Post, recently went to Hong Kong to observe the condition of Indonesian migrant workers on the island. The following two articles are her reports.