Secure Parking company tight-lipped about success By K. Basrie JAKARTA (JP): If you park your car in a big shopping mall, an apartment complex or a starred hotel here, it is likely that you will be met by the smiling faces of Secure Parking staff, replete with their computerized system. But don't ask about the company.

What Jakartan say about parking JAKARTA (JP): Parking has become a long-standing and complex problem for Jakartans. Mismanagement, poor services, thuggery and unjustified additional levies are just a few of the difficulties they encounter. The following are some Jakartans' experiences and thoughts on how to improve services. Ingrid Widjanarko, runs an entertainment business under the flag of Ingrid Widjanarko & Associates (IWA): My late father, Bambang Widjanarko, was the director of PT.

One-night stands: Harmless fun that can lead to trouble JAKARTA: "Mita", a member of the marketing staff of a pharmaceutical company, was assigned to attend a five-day seminar in Paris. At breakfast before the event started, the 30-year-old met Xavier. Married just six months, Mita thought her fellow seminar participant from Mexico was handsome but not as attractive as her husband. "He did not interest me because I am used to meeting Caucasian men," she said.

Human-interest issues in sports 'wins viewers' By Yogita Tahil Ramani JAKARTA (JP): Monica Desideria imagined herself walking down the Lebak Bulus soccer stadium in South Jakarta in a lavender wedding gown by famous sports designer Abba.

Nusantara Symphony Orchestra stays true to form By Gus Kairupan JAKARTA (JP): The above headline may create the impression that the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) has existed for some time and that it has established a form anyone would recognize. It is not the case, and its appearance on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23 could be called a debut.

Lombok villagers earns living overseas By H. Bur Solihin MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara (Antara): Residents of Lombok island who work in Malaysia have founded a new neighborhood: Banjar Malaysia. It is located in the Bakong hamlet of Kebon Ayu village, Gerung district, West Lombok regency, 30 kilometers south of here. They changed the name Bakong to Banjar Malaysia because nearly 80 percent of the inhabitants have worked successfully in Malaysia. According to Bakong's chief, A.

Young man murders six relatives in Medan JAKARTA (JP): A 17-year-old grounded from leaving the family home over his erratic behavior bludgeoned his parents and four of his siblings to death with a hammer in Medan, press reports said Saturday. M. Fahrizal Batubara allegedly killed his father Dr. Arsyad Batubara, 60, mother Delfiraina Siregar, 47, elder brother Ganhaled, 19, and elder sisters Fitrisna, 28, Vini Quita, 23, and Vidi Tinti, 22, in the North Sumatran capital on Friday morning.

Dayaks' longhouse is a showcase of togetherness BENTUANG KARIMUN, West Kalimantan (JP): The Dayak, one of the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia, are the indigenous people of Kalimantan. Longhouses are the most visible characteristics of their community. Each longhouse, locally called rumah betang, may accommodate a whole hamlet of 15 families or more. The house consists of the terrace (tanju) for drying paddy rice or gathering together, and the middle part (ruai) for general activities.

Youth Pledge Day and its meaning By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): We Indonesians have been boasting about our vast cultural diversity. Our national motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika, means, in essence, Unity in Diversity. There are 580 dialects spoken by various peoples living in this vast archipelago of 17,508 islands. It is perhaps the most diverse nation in the world. Last Wednesday, we commemorated the 70th anniversary of Youth Pledge Day. On Oct.

National Archives Building returns to its past glories Text by Yudha Kartohadiprodjo photos by Mulkan Salmona JAKARTA(JP): Generally associated with ruined buildings, burned stores and horrendous traffic, old-town Jakarta is hiding a jewel-laden oasis that has remained undiscovered by most passersby: the National Archives Building. After three years of strenuous fund-raising to finance the renovation, the building has been restored to its former glory and will now have a distinctive role.

Jakarta's parking stuck in first gear The decades-old problem of parking mismanagement in Jakarta remains unresolved while, for some companies, parking is becoming an increasingly lucrative business. The Jakarta Post reporters K. Basrie, Ivy Susanti, Imanuddin, Emmy Fitri, Riyadi and Yogita Tahil Ramani and photographer Bayu Ismoyo look into the issue.

Bonerate marine park is a tourist eden under threat By Jupriadi UJUNGPANDANG (JP): "What are they looking for in the sea?" The question has been raised time and again by locals watching foreign tourists diving and playing in the clear waters of Taka Bonerate National Sea Park, about 450 kilometers south of here.

Malaysia warns soldiers KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Stern action will be taken against any military personnel found to be involved in the anti-government demonstrations, Defense Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Saturday. "If only one or two members are involved, there is no need to blow it up. It is not a problem for us but we will investigate," the minister was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.

Taste salsa 'Numero Uno' at the Stix By Brigid O'Halloran JAKARTA (JP): The energetic Latino rhythms and colorful style of Colombian band Los Numero Uno initially seem a little out of place in the ultramodern stainless steel and granite environs of Stix, one of Jakarta's newest nightspots. It is the nine member band's up-tempo performance however, that ultimately sets Stix apart from other Jakarta pubs and entertainment venues.

Banyumas limestone quarriers put life on the lime By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Saiman is 40, but he raced up the craggy rock face like a lithe house lizard. Lingering acute economic hardships have forced several thousand limestone quarriers like Saiman to risk life and limb for their living in Darma Kradenan. Without proper safety equipment, they scale steep local cliffs to collect limestone in the hope of earning a mere Rp 5,000 to Rp 7,000 (about 70 U.S.

Pramoedya's view of ethnic Chinese still apt Hoakiau in Indonesia; (Overseas Chinese in Indonesia); By Pramoedya Ananta Toer; Garba Budaya, Jakarta, 1998; xi + 293 pp JAKARTA (JP): This book was originally a long essay in the form of letters -- nine all together -- addressed to a certain Hs-y (later identified as Chen Hsia-yu or Chen Xiaru, his interpreter in a 1958 visit to China, with whom he later established a close friendship) and published in Bintang Minggu between November 1959 and early...

Indonesia faces struggle to take all badminton titles JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's bid for a second consecutive clean sweep at the Sanyo Indonesia Open badminton championships remains hanging in the balance after the Danes and Malaysians dug deep and showed excellent survival instincts in Saturday's semifinals. Except for the men's doubles title which the host nation has already sewn up, Indonesia's top shuttlers are in for a tough time from their second-string opponents in Sunday's finals.

President briefs governors, military chiefs on politics JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie on Saturday briefed the country's 27 governors, regional military commanders and provincial police chiefs on political and security issues ahead of the upcoming Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Valet parking system fast becoming a fixture in capital By Riyadi JAKARTA (JP): Taking a girlfriend or boyfriend to a plaza by car on the weekend is mostly a pleasurable occasion. But this can turn sour as soon as you reach the overcrowded parking lot. But at certain places like Pondok Indah Mall one need not bother looking for a parking space for their well-loved cars. Attendants wait happily to park your car in a save and proper place.

KLA Project marks a decade in the po music rat race By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): If you're in your 30s you may identify with their songs. KLA Project first climbed the local charts with Tentang Kita (About Us) in 1988 -- long before MTV was aired in Indonesia.

Sotlight Photo A: Indigo Restaurant Majapahit Mandarin Oriental DRAWING ATTENTION: Actress Paramitha Rusady (right) displays a sketch at the Indigo Restaurant & Bar in Hotel Majapahit Mandarin Oriental Surabaya on Oct. 22. The restaurant allows guests to draw while they wait for their food to be served.

Determined Mamat directs traffic and rules the road By Emmy Fitri JAKARTA (JP): Some may call the 57-year-old Mamat Gayo "disabled", others "physically challenged". However the abnormal growth in his hands and feet have not disabled his spirit for life in the daily challenge of helping direct traffic near the Harapan Bunda Hospital on busy Jl. Raya Bogor in East Jakarta.

Forgive and forget From Republika State Minister for Food and Horticulture, Prof. Dr. A.M. Saefuddin's statement in connection with the next presidential seat, particularly with respect to his attempt to compete with Megawati Soekarnoputri, has triggered a lot of protests, particularly from the Balinese Hindus.

Indigenous tribe suffers in Bentuang-Karimun park Atma Jaya Catholic University's nature lovers from Jakarta grouped in Wanachala and went on an expedition to Bentuang- Karimun National Park in West Kalimantan in August and September. The seven-member team consisting of F. Wahyudin, Swandoyo, Lucy Utari, Teddy Souisa, Judith Pascalis, Rheza E. Pesik and Rommy Andreas writes about their observation of the park and the indigenous Dayak tribe there for The Jakarta Post.

Reform means never having to say you are sorry JAKARTA (JP): First thing in the morning of every Lebaran (Moslem Holiday), after praying, I have to accept apologies from my wife, my sons, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter. I say "I have to" because it is very unlikely that those loving creatures have made any mistakes to apologize for. It is just our tradition on the special day to forgive each other whole-heatedly, by saying "Maaf lahir batin".