English in schools 'misses mark' JAKARTA (JP): Nicky is now in her final year of senior high school, which means she has been studying English for more than five years. But the 17-year-old giggled nervously when asked: "Do you speak English?" "Bahasa Indonesia saja (Let's just speak Indonesian)," she told The Jakarta Post. It is not that Nicky does not understand any English at all.

Big guns give up after grueling battle By Robert Soelistyo MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Despite all their sophisticated technology and machines, many top drivers were no match for nature in the Gudang Garam World Rally Championship here yesterday. Defending champion Carlos Sainz of Spain was one of the few who weathered the ordeal of alternately slippery and rock-hard routes to take the lead after clocking 3:19.54 in a Ford Escort.

Sanchez Vicario kills Yayuk's Princess bid TOKYO (AFP): Arantxa Sanchez Vicario saved seven match points before storming back to beat Yayuk Basuki in the semi-finals of the US$450,000 Princess Cup tennis tournament yesterday. The Spanish former world number one was a set and 4-5, 30-40 down when she made a timely break of serve to stage a remarkable comeback for a 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory over the fifth seeded Indonesian.

Malaysia to help Indonesia battle choking fires KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia pledged yesterday to send up to 400 firefighters to battle blazes in Indonesia which have shrouded much of Southeast Asia in thick, choking smog. Two hundred firefighters would be sent to Kalimantan on the Indonesian half of Borneo island as soon as officials in Jakarta agree to a timetable, Malaysian Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat told a news conference.

World champion Greene wins 100-meter dash JAKARTA (JP): American world champion Maurice Greene won the men's 100 meters at the Bob Hasan Invitational Meet yesterday at the Senayan Madya Stadium here but failed to break his own world record. Greene, who was favorite to win the annual event, clocked 10.18 seconds, which was 0.32 seconds slower than his personal best last month at the Track and Field World Championship in Athens, Greece.

Indonesian crewmen rescued ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (DPA): Nine Indonesian crewmen who survived a shipwreck two weeks ago have been rescued in Philippine seas and military authorities yesterday declared them safe. Authorities said the Indonesian crewmen of the capsized Jarapin cargo ferry were rescued by Filipino fishermen Sunday last week, seven days after the ferry capsized in big waves spawned by a typhoon that struck Indonesia.

Fidel Ramos vows peaceful transfer of power GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines (Reuter): Philippine President Fidel Ramos said yesterday he would not stand for reelection and pledged a peaceful transfer of power to his successor when his term ends next year. "I will not run for reelection, period, period, period," Ramos said in this southern Philippine city upon his return from a 10- day foreign trip.

Li arrives in HK for Bank meet HONG KONG (Reuter): Chinese Premier Li Peng arrived in Hong Kong yesterday for next week's World Bank/International Monetary Fund annual meeting. Li was greeted by Beijing-anointed Hong Kong leader Tung Chee- hwa, Chinese Foreign Ministry Commissioner in Hong Kong Ma Yuzhen and Xinhua News Agency director Jiang Enzhu at the airport. Li arrived on an Air China Boeing 747 aircraft from Beijing, accompanied by his wife Zhu Lin. He will be in Hong Kong for four days.

Indonesia lags behind in mastery of English JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta looks as good as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila as a metropolitan city. It has many high-rise buildings, luxury shopping malls and other modern facilities. But it lags behind in at least one area: mastery of English. English is the official language of Singapore, the second language in Malaysia and the Philippines. But you will not hear locals speaking English on the street in Jakarta, let alone in the rest of the country.

English test a must for foreign schools By Christiani S. Tumelap JAKARTA (JP): Thinking of pursuing a higher degree in an English-speaking country? Better get busy improving not only your academic skills, but also your command of English. Different tests may be part of the entry requirements for your favorite college or university.

G-24 blames speculators By Vincent Lingga HONG KONG (JP): Developing countries called yesterday for international recognition of the role of speculators in setting off the spread of the recent currency crisis from one Southeast Asian country to others in the region. The Group of 24 Ministers (G-24), which represents developing countries in negotiations on international monetary affairs, acknowledged that domestic policy weakness contributed to the recent Southeast Asian currency crisis.

New hotel opens for SEA Games JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto inaugurated yesterday the five-star Mulia Senayan Hotel which was built in record time for next month's Southeast Asian Games. The US$240 million 40-story hotel has 1,008 rooms. It is situated on Jl. Gelora in the Senayan, South Jakarta. It is owned and managed by PT Mulia Intanlestari, a subsidiary of the Mulia Group.

Wi enjoys fine round at Kuala Lumpur Open KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Former American college star Charlie Wi took the third round lead yesterday in the US$300,000 Mild Seven Kuala Lumpur Open at Saujana Golf and Country Club. The Korean-American, who has lived in the United States since age 10, fired a three-under-par 69 for a total of seven-under-par 209.

Indonesian music artists sing copyrights blues By Yenni Kwok JAKARTA (JP): When singer-songwriter Oppie Andaresta composes a soon-to-be hit song, chances are she will not make much of a profit from it. Like other Indonesian songwriters, Oppie usually sells her songs to her recording company for a set price. By doing so, she gets to keep the copyright for her creative works but not the royalty. "Most songwriters want to get money fast," she said.

'RCTI' awarded as favorite TV station JAKARTA (JP): Private TV station RCTI won 15 of the 36 awards at the Panasonic Awards 1997 here on Friday night. Viewers voted RCTI their favorite TV station and Seputar Indonesia their favorite TV show. RCTI anchors Desi Anwar and Adolf Posumah were named people's favorite news presenters. The Panasonic Awards 1997, telecast live by Indosiar, was organized jointly by electronics maker PT National Panasonik Gobel, tabloid Citra and Indosiar.

Police release detained Australian trade unionists JAKARTA (JP): Police released yesterday the two Australian unionists and 10 Indonesians who were detained during the Friday congress of the unrecognized-Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI).

Dancer Linda Hoemar reaches her star By Dini S. Djalal JAKARTA (JP): The New Yorker, not a magazine given to indiscriminate praise, raved about her. Following a performance, audiences have been known to pass a half hour hollering for an encore. For Linda Hoemar, perhaps Indonesia's most famous dancer overseas, standing ovations are almost second nature. Second only to dance, her first love.

Tigers vs elephants: New transitions in ASEAN's wake India and South Africa have both taken a keen interest in the developmental experience and economic opportunities of the ASEAN region. Amyn B. Sajoo looks at two critiques of the changes taking place in these two countries. SINGAPORE: Delivering the annual Singapore Lecture on a whirlwind tour of the region early this year, South African President Nelson Mandela struck a pilgrim's note.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. TVRI News 6:25 Morning News 6:45 Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 7:15 Healthy and Fit 7:30 Children's Program: Arena Kami 8:00 Brudy and Family 8:30 Cartoon Film 9:00 People and Event 9:30 Cooking Program: Panada Kornet 10:00 TVRI News 10:30 Music: Album Minggu Ini 11:30 Teenagers' Program: Temu Remaja 12:15 p.m.

Korean investment in ASEAN is changing By Park Bun Soon The character of Korean investments in ASEAN countries has been changing gradually. SINGAPORE: Korean companies first came as investors to ASEAN mostly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. From the mid-1980s, the factor costs in Korea had increased so rapidly that the labor intensive industries could not adjust themselves to the new situation.

Thailand looks askance at Indonesia elephant request BANGKOK, Thailand (AP): Thailand, buffeted by political and economic crises, has a new worry: someone is trying to steal its elephant-training know-how. The someone is Indonesia, and the motive is to build up an echo-tourism industry around the mighty beasts, according to officials and animal experts quoted in Friday's edition of the Bangkok Post.

What computers do to English JAKARTA (JP): I remember listening to two library science professors one afternoon in 1988 as they discussed whether the correct word form was "on line", "on-line", or "online". That was around the time when "on-line database" was becoming a buzzword (is it "buzzword" or "buzz word"?). Anyway, what does the word "on-line" actually mean. In case you're curious, here are some definitions that I've found in my on-line American Heritage Dictionary: on-line adj. 1.

How to analyze position and endgame By Kristianus Liem JAKARTA (JP): As I mentioned in The Jakarta Post chess column last week, the weakness of almost all Indonesian women chess players is the ability to understand and evaluate position, especially in the endgame. Here's a look at a game by senior National Master Imasniti who has the better position at the end but gets herself into a terrible position through a bad series of moves because she fails to understand position.

Guess What? Arranging a film festival can be a scheduling nightmare. Just ask Niniek L. Karim and fellow organizers of the ongoing Jakarta International Women's Film Festival to share their stories of struggle. Strapped by limited funding, they relied on the goodwill of foreign embassies and other institutions to provide them with films and screening venues. They were initially set to screen the 28 films at Erasmus Huis, the Australian Embassy Theater and Deppen New Film Building.

SE Asian artists share their experiences By Ati Nurbaiti MANILA (JP): Artists are often loathe to discuss the thought processes behind their works. So when 35 artists from Southeast Asia gathered recently and shared their thoughts in Manila, insight was gained into the shared experiences and concerns in this region.

Reflecting on rights body's success Hak Asasi Manusia Dalam Persepektif Budaya Indonesia (Human Rights in the Perspective of Indonesian Culture) PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama in cooperation with the National Commission on Human Rights and The Asia Foundation, 1997 xx and 313 pages JAKARTA (JP): Many people greeted with cynicism the birth of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnasham) in late 1993. They doubted its independence because its establishment was based on a presidential decree.

LIA Foundation expands to teach language of the times By I. Christianto In tandem with development and the approaching era of globalization and trade liberalization, there is increasing awareness among Indonesians about the importance of English. Not surprisingly, private English courses are flourishing. The Jakarta Post team of reporters, I. Christianto, Christiani S. Tumelap, Immanudin, Ivy Susanti, Aloysius Unditu, P.J. Leo and T. Sima Gunawan, look into the business.

Towards productive EU-ASEAN dialog By Aurora Ferrari Europe can play a more effective role in its relations with ASEAN. SINGAPORE: The relationship between ASEAN and Europe goes back many years. Indeed, the European Community (EC) became ASEAN's first dialogue partner in 1972. However, Europe has failed to capitalize on the opportunities provided by ASEAN's early overtures. Europe has so far lacked a clear strategy for South-east Asia.

Cakra Dara pulls mussels from their shells for a living Text and photos by P.J. Leo JAKARTA (JP): An early evening stroll in the country's big cities uncovers a seafood lover's paradise of abundant fresh fish, crabs and mussels available in sidewalk stalls. Green mussels are a favored delicacy as they are easy to obtain and cheap. Cakra Dara, like so many fishermen in Kapuk Muara, Pluit, North Jakarta, depends on green mussels for his living.