Archive: 16 April 1998
49 articles found
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Why Australia matters to Indonesia
Why Australia matters to Indonesia By Dewi Anggraeni MELBOURNE (JP): Wise people say that you only know your friends when you are going through bad times. And true friends, it is fair to say, do not make a song and dance about what they do to assist you. It is therefore reasonable to say that Australia has been such a friend to Indonesia. Australia's involvement in the present situation in Indonesia has been far from one dimensional. In fact it has been multi- dimensional.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
NU urges ABRI to join reform movement
NU urges ABRI to join reform movement JAKARTA (JP): Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Moslem social organization, called on the Armed Forces (ABRI) yesterday to join the growing movement for political reforms. "ABRI should protect and support the demand for improvement which has been brewing in society," NU's executive board said of the student-led movement. Noting that ABRI was "born out of the people", NU said it was only to be expected that it should protect the interests of citizens.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Five plantation companies ready to go public: Minister
Five plantation companies ready to go public: Minister PARUNG PANJANG, West Java (JP): Shares in five state plantations companies are to be floated on stock exchanges this year, Minister of Forestry and Plantations Sumahadi said yesterday. Sumahadi said he and the state minister of empowerment of state enterprises would jointly prepare the listing.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Soeharto tells students to study
Soeharto tells students to study JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called on Indonesian students yesterday to return to class and develop their competitiveness in order to face the future. Soeharto also said that university campuses should return to their original function as learning institutions.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
USAID to donate 30,700 tons
USAID to donate 30,700 tons WASHINGTON (Reuters): The U.S. Agency for International Development will donate 30,700 tons of rice and 1,040 tons of a wheat/soy blend to Indonesia under title II of the PL-480 program, a USAID spokeswoman said Tuesday. The rice is valued at about US$15.4 million and the wheat/soy blend at about $447,000, the aide said. USAID will also pay for about $7 million in ocean freight and other costs to get the food aid to Indonesia.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
E. Timor bishops leave for Vatican
E. Timor bishops leave for Vatican DILI, East Timor: Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo and Bishop Basilio do Nascimento, of the Dili and Baucau dioceses respectively, will attend an Asian bishop conference in Vatican City from April 18 to April 30, Antara reported yesterday. Pope John Paul II will open the conference, said Belo at Comoro Airport here minutes before he and Nascimento left for Rome.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Waiter tried for keeping Ecstasy
Waiter tried for keeping Ecstasy JAKARTA (JP): A prosecutor asked West Jakarta District Court yesterday to sentence a discotheque waiter to four years in prison and fine him Rp 150 million (US$19,700) for possessing 12 Ecstasy pills. Prosecutor Petrus Sambara said the defendant, identified as Husen Sajili, 24, was arrested on Aug. 16, last year at Emeral Discotheque on Jl. Hayam Wuruk. "The defendant was asked to sell the pills by a man named Rachmadsyah," Petrus said.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on April 15, 1998: Shares Close Change Trading Volume -------------------------------------------------------------- Ades Alfindo 650 0 0 AHAP Insurance 500 0 0 Alter Abadi 1,100 175 77,500 Alumindo Light Metal 425 0 125,500 Alumindo Perkasa 375 0 0 Aneka Kimia Raya 575 0 45,000 Aneka Tambang 1,650 0 3,361,500 Anwar Sierad 300 0 44,500 Apac Centertex Corp.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Tangerang gives IMF new meaning
Tangerang gives IMF new meaning TANGERANG (JP): Although remaining popular for bailing Indonesia out of its economic abyss, the IMF has a new meaning in the mayoralty. Bureaucrats and impoverished citizens have jestingly used the acronym to stand for Irit, Murah, Faedah (economical, cheap, useful), instead of the International Monetary Fund, as labels on cheap meals for the poor attest.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Murder suspect 'fully' sane
Murder suspect 'fully' sane JAKARTA (JP): A psychological test completed Monday on the suspect in a triple murder investigation in Jagakarsa showed that he was fully sane, according to the police. City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said Tuesday that the Jamaluddin, a 22-year-old student, was examined by a police psychological team. "The test result shows that Jamaluddin is completely normal. He is able to think clearly and logically.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Concerns over reform drag down rupiah again
Concerns over reform drag down rupiah again JAKARTA (JP): The crippled rupiah fell for the second consecutive day yesterday on market apprehension over the country's commitment to thoroughly implementing the revised reforms, currency dealers said. The rupiah, which opened at 7,700/7,800, closed 2.6 percent lower than the previous day's close of 7,650 against the American dollar, they said.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Foreign lawyers' illegal practice?
Foreign lawyers' illegal practice? Police questioned recently a number of expatriates who allegedly practice as counsels/lawyers through a limited liability company (PT). This investigation should be praised and receive support from all Indonesian lawyers. Why? First, foreign lawyers practicing here is not in accordance with a reciprocity principle, which commonly applies in international law, and, in turn, results in unfair treatment to Indonesian lawyers.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
SPP suspends RI operations
SPP suspends RI operations SINGAPORE (Reuters): Singapore's construction-based SPP Ltd said yesterday its Indonesian subsidiary plunged into the red in the second half of last year and it had suspended operations in the country. SPP, a unit of Tuan Sing Holdings Ltd, said in a statement the sharp deterioration in its Indonesian business due to Asia's currency crisis was a major factor in its losses in 1997.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Dairy farmers' output drops
Dairy farmers' output drops PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): At least 500 dairy farmers in Purwokerto, a dairy center in Central Java, are experiencing declining output due to increasing feedmeal prices. The chairman of the Pesat dairy cooperative, Siswadi, said that milk produced by the farmers' cows had declined more than 60 percent to an average of 8,000 liters per day from an average of 13,000 liters two months ago. A healthy, well-fed cow usually produces up to 12 liters of milk a day.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt expects to raise Rp 15t from privatization
Govt expects to raise Rp 15t from privatization JAKARTA (JP): The government projects it will raise Rp 15 trillion (US$1.87 billion) from its divestment in 12 state companies during the 1998/1999 fiscal year, a senior official said yesterday. Most of the privatization proceeds will be used to supplement the state budget, Director General of State Enterprises Bacelius Ruru added.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Puncak Jaya a herbal haven
Puncak Jaya a herbal haven JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: At least 45 kinds of medicinal herbs have been found at the natural reserve of Puncak Jaya mountain here by the researchers of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). Head of the local forestry office, SM Pardede, said here on Monday that apart from the 45 medicinal herbs, the researchers also found 49 kinds of edible mushrooms.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Refiners must be efficient: Kuntoro
Refiners must be efficient: Kuntoro JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto has urged state oil and gas firm Pertamina to improve efficiency at its refineries to offset the government's planned move to cut fuel subsidies. Kuntoro said yesterday the move would reduce the refineries' production costs, and consequently cut their sales prices.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Minister turned off by gory TV programs
Minister turned off by gory TV programs JAKARTA (JP): Private television stations were reminded yesterday of their role as a medium to foster unity and educate the public, and were told not to dramatize news reports with graphic footage.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Workers take grievances to rights commission
Workers take grievances to rights commission JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of workers from three Jakarta-based companies protested their dismissals to the National Commission on Human Rights yesterday. Workers of PT Yota Megah, Bouraq Airlines and PT Masindo Multimedia told commission members they had been unfairly fired with too little or no severance pay.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Collision kills 13 in Kutai
Collision kills 13 in Kutai SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Thirteen people were killed and three others injured when two trucks collided in a dusty road near Separi Besar village, Kutai district, East Kalimantan late Monday afternoon. One of the trucks was overtaking a car when it smashed right into an oncoming logging truck, Samarinda police chief Lt. Aji Sutrisno said yesterday. Sutrisno said the first truck must have failed to see the logging truck due to the road's thick dust.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Cue cancels Saga deal
Cue cancels Saga deal OSLO (Reuters): Saga Petroleum ASA said yesterday that Cue Energy Resources NL of New Zealand had pulled out of a deal to buy Saga's 50 percent stake in the Jambi Merang oil prospect in Indonesia. Saga said it disputed Cue Energy's right to withdraw from the agreement and was considering legal action. Cue agreed in May to buy Saga's stake in the block for US$27 million.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Macquarie cancels RI plan
Macquarie cancels RI plan SYDNEY (Dow Jones): Australia's Macquarie Bank Ltd. said yesterday it has canceled a joint venture with PT Bank Private Development Finance Company of Indonesia (PDFCI). The move comes after the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Authority (IBRA) took control of Bank PDFCI's operations. Macquarie had planned a joint venture between its securitization arm, Macquarie Securitisation Ltd., and Bank PDFCI but the Asian financial crisis has forced a premature end to the deal.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Conversion Rates
Conversion Rates JAKARTA (JP): Bank Ekspor Impor Indonesia's (Bank Exim) indicative conversion rates on April 15, 1998: Buying Selling Rp Rp U.S.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt vows to lift CPO ban on time
Govt vows to lift CPO ban on time JAKARTA (JP): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said yesterday it had been assured by the government that the export ban on crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives would be removed April 22 as agreed to in the latest reform package announced last week.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
U.S. hopes Indonesia will impose IMF reforms
U.S. hopes Indonesia will impose IMF reforms JAKARTA (JP): United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Stanley Roth expressed hope yesterday that Indonesia would consistently implement its pledge to see through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reforms. "I hope that this agreement will be implemented vigorously which is the commitment of the government of course, for a full economic recovery," Roth said after meeting Vice President B.J.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
50% of city bus, minibus fleets 'off the streets'
50% of city bus, minibus fleets 'off the streets' JAKARTA (JP): About 50 percent of the city's more than 10,000 buses and minibuses cannot operate on the streets due to the impact of the current monetary crisis, a City Land Transportation Agency official said yesterday. The official, who asked for anonymity, said that many bus owners could no longer afford to buy spare parts for the vehicles' repair and maintenance as prices had surged by up to 500 percent.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
West Jakarta fires leave 1,500 homeless
West Jakarta fires leave 1,500 homeless JAKARTA (JP): Fires in Tomang and Krukut, West Jakarta, destroyed more than 140 houses yesterday, leaving about 1,500 people homeless, firefighters said. No injuries were reported in either incident and estimates on the value of material loss were not immediately available. The fire in Tomang gutted some 140 houses in a 1.2 hectare slum area on Jl. Banjir Kanal. Some 350 families lost their homes. The fire started at 10:10 a.m. and was put out at 1 p.m.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Thai holiday toll at 70 deaths
Thai holiday toll at 70 deaths BANGKOK (AP): Road accidents in Thailand during the five-day Buddhist New Year's holiday have killed 70 people so far, highway police said yesterday. During the holiday, many Thais who work in Bangkok travel back to their ancestral homes in the provinces, jamming roads out of town but leaving the capital unusually free of traffic tie-ups. Police said 322 people were injured in holiday road accidents during the holiday, which began April 10.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Students intensify pressure for reforms
Students intensify pressure for reforms JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students kept up their demands for reforms and lower prices of basic commodities yesterday in on- campus rallies organized concurrently at dozens of universities. At least four campuses here witnessed noisy rallies demanding a reshuffle of the cabinet, clean government, lower prices of commodities and the empowerment of the House of Representatives. Almost 1,000 students gathered at the University of Indonesia's campus on Jl.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Asian markets mostly down ahead of G-7 meeting
Asian markets mostly down ahead of G-7 meeting HONG KONG (AP): Most Asian markets closed lower yesterday prior to a meeting of world finance ministers, with Malaysia's key index tumbling three percent on company liquidation fears. Kuala Lumpur's benchmark Composite Index fell 20.22 points to finish at 644.62, slightly below a key psychological support level of 650 points. The fall came a day after it emerged that Multi-Purpose Bank Bhd.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Local rider wins Tour stage
Local rider wins Tour stage CEBU, Philippines (AP): Filipino Virgilio Durain pushed hard in the last 100 meters yesterday to narrowly win a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) prologue to the 2,494-kilometer (1,558-mile) Tour of the Philippines. Durain, a mainstay of the Philippines' mountain bike team, was timed at five minutes and 2.68 seconds. Xuezhong Tang of China finished second in 5:2.95, followed by Kumaresan Murugaya of Malaysia in 5:11.03.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
IMF confident latest plan will work
IMF confident latest plan will work WASHINGTON (Reuters): International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus said on Tuesday he was confident the latest rescue package for Indonesia would work and rejected criticism of the IMF's approach to Jakarta's problems. Indonesia agreed with the IMF on Friday to a 117-point reform package in return for a bail-out package of $43 billion to end the country's worst economic crisis in three decades.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Students want rector to resign
Students want rector to resign TANGERANG (JP): Syech Yusuf Islamic University's 32nd anniversary reception ended in chaos Tuesday night when hundreds of students staged a surprise demonstration demanding their rector's resignation. Dozens of guests, including Tangerang mayor Djakaria Machmud and Tangerang regent Agus Djunara, promptly left when the demonstrators streamed onto the campus from all directions, shouting their demands.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
'La Nina' looms for Philippines
'La Nina' looms for Philippines MANILA (AP): The Philippines, still reeling from the effects of a severe drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, is now bracing for floods from a La Nina that may follow, officials said yesterday. Agriculture Secretary Salvador Escudero said heavy rains from the La Nina could begin in the last quarter of this year, which is normally harvest season.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Garuda offers delivery service
Garuda offers delivery service JAKARTA (JP): National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia launched an express delivery service to 10 major cities across the country and Singapore. The firm's commercial director, Sudarso Kaderi, said Garuda Express Delivery would emphasize "speed, accuracy and customers' satisfaction". "Just pick up the telephone, and we will pick up the package and deliver it to the destination," Sudarso said. It offers overnight, same-day and holiday services.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Officers learn on the English language beat
Officers learn on the English language beat JAKARTA (JP): The Police Language School (Sebasa) held an English speech contest here Tuesday in an effort to help officers polish their language skills. The school's head, Col. Roosiana, said students spoke extemporaneously on several topics, including the "Love Rupiah" movement, the economic crisis, drug abuse and unemployment. Winners from the 36 contestants were Capt. Firli of East Timor Police Headquarters, First Lt.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt cannot wash its hands of missing people
Govt cannot wash its hands of missing people The fate of several missing people, most of whom are government critics and student activists, remains a mystery, even though some disappeared a year ago. Corporate lawyer and human rights activist Mulya Lubis shares his view on what should be done. JAKARTA (JP): Reports of missing people are nothing new in our history. Since its infancy, the republic has been rife with stories about people who are missing, killed, imprisoned or even kidnapped.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Eliminate corrupt mentality
Eliminate corrupt mentality From Merdeka A clean government that commands respect must be created without delay because the Indonesian people, who have a deep moral and ethical sense, have long dreamed of having one. So, all social ills connected with the mentality of corruption and nepotism must be cured. All these must be wiped out across the country because they harm the nation and the state in addition to tarnishing the country's image internationally.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bekasi ponders new bus terminal
Bekasi ponders new bus terminal BEKASI (JP): The local administration is considering building another bus terminal because the existing one can no longer accommodate the increasing number of buses. "We are studying all relevant aspects," Mayor Nonon Sonthanie said here Tuesday. The planned terminal would be smaller than the existing one, Nonon said as reported by Antara.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
A solution to the monetary crisis
A solution to the monetary crisis From Suara Karya The monetary crisis is showing no signs of going away. Life is becoming more and more difficult for the majority of us, although the well-off and business tycoons can still afford to eat meat and play golf or tennis every day. The majority of this nation, the little people, however, have always been the worst victims of unpopular economic policies. They are suffering from the so-called "confusion illness".
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
KL quiets tensions with interfaith body
KL quiets tensions with interfaith body JAKARTA (JP): A Malaysian scholar believes his ethnically and religiously diverse country has escaped major religious conflicts in the last hundred years because rumblings of discord are handled in their early stages. Tan Sri Dato Seri Dr. Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid told a seminar on Islam and the West here yesterday that minor isolated incidents which occurred in predominately Moslem Malaysia never escalated into riots on a national scale.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Pakistani national tried for selling heroin
Pakistani national tried for selling heroin JAKARTA (JP): A 46-year-old Pakistani man was indicted at West Jakarta District Court yesterday for selling 70 grams of heroin at the immigration office's quarantine center. Prosecutor Fachruddin said Muhammad Khaled Mahmood, who had stayed at the quarantine center for almost two years for violating immigration regulations, was arrested on Dec. 14, last year.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Megawati plans own congress in December
Megawati plans own congress in December JAKARTA (JP): The ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), Megawati Soekarnoputri, said yesterday she would not attend the party congress planned by rival faction leader Soerjadi in June, and would hold her own in December. "The PDI congress planned for June is not on my political agenda. Mine will be in December," she told reporters at her residence in the Kebagusan subdistrict of South Jakarta.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI's foreign debts $133.7b in January
RI's foreign debts $133.7b in January JAKARTA (JP): The nation's foreign obligations dropped to US$133.7 billion as of the end of January, down from $136.1 billion in December last year, Bank Indonesia (BI) reported yesterday. BI said the January debt position was based on the latest data. Foreign debts comprised of $53.5 billion in government long- term debts and $80.2 billion in private sector debts, the central bank said in a statement.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Suspension of banks
Suspension of banks Minister of Finance Fuad Bawazier announced on April 4, the suspension of seven banks and another seven banks placed under the supervision of the Indonesian Banking Restructuring Agency (IBRA). It was also announced that the liabilities of the first group of banks toward their customers would be taken over by BNI and that BNI would take care of matters pertaining to payment to customers. The suspended banks will not be liquidated.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
The voice of the future
The voice of the future Antigovernment student demonstrations are spreading to more campuses in more cities. The young people appear to have won more ears and hearts among the public, who are finding their demands for political and economic reforms legitimate. Many people believe the students are, without any doubt, echoing the suffering of the majority of Indonesians amid the current catastrophic economic crisis.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
JSX gets new commissioner
JSX gets new commissioner JAKARTA (JP): The general shareholder meeting of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) appointed yesterday Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, president of publicly listed PT Tambang Timah, their new chief commissioner to replace Fuad Bawazier, currently minister of finance. The shareholders also decided to retain Rini M. Soewandi, finance director of PT Astra International, and Rosano Barack, vice president of the Bimantara Citra Group, on the board of commissioners.
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
UN official says E. Kalimantan fires are 'big disaster'
UN official says E. Kalimantan fires are 'big disaster' JAKARTA (JP): At least 10,000 firefighters and significant international support would be needed to extinguish East Kalimantan's raging forest fires, according to United Nations officials who have described the situation as "a very, very big disaster".
Thu, 16 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI backs Australia for ASEM membership
RI backs Australia for ASEM membership JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas reaffirmed yesterday Indonesia's support for Australia's admission to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).