Archive: 20 April 1998
47 articles found
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Movie on dengue fever
Movie on dengue fever JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta information office is screening a free movie on dengue fever and measures to prevent it in 31 subdistricts throughout the mayoralty. The screenings start today and last until May 29. The movie is being played every night this month, except for Thursday night. In May, the movie will be screened from Monday to Wednesday and Friday.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
AIDS sufferers cannot afford medication
AIDS sufferers cannot afford medication JAKARTA (JP): Only 11 of the 631 Indonesians who have tested HIV positive or are suffering from full-blown AIDS can afford to buy the imported medicine which could retard the impact of the deadly disease. Each HIV/AIDS sufferer needs to spend about Rp 2 million (US$250) a month for medication, project coordinator of the Spiritia Foundation, Suzanna Murni, said after opening an AIDS charity bazaar here yesterday.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Open letter to the Malaysian Ambassador
Open letter to the Malaysian Ambassador From Republika Your Excellency, With this letter, we, Women Solidarity, an NGO concerned with issues related to migrant workers, wish to put forward some matters relative to the protection of Indonesian workers in Malaysia. A few days ago, we were all startled by the sad news of the death of eight Indonesian illegal workers and a Malaysian policeman as a result of a riot in the Semenyih immigration detention camp.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Seeking ways to prevent new Asian-style financial woes
Seeking ways to prevent new Asian-style financial woes By Helmut Maier-Mannhart MUNICH (DPA): Credits worth a total of more than US$100 billion have been promised by the International Monetary Fund to just three countries -- South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia -- to help them avoid financial collapse as a result of the crisis sweeping East Asia since last fall. The money, now streaming into the countries under the IMF's rescue action, naturally did not fall from heaven.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Private sector to tackle haze
Private sector to tackle haze SINGAPORE (DPA): A Singapore-based Briton has started a new private-sector initiative aimed at fighting the smoke haze choking parts of Asia, a news report said yesterday. Lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Jeremy Cama, 42, believes that "the private sector will be more efficient than governments" in battling the haze and the forest fires which cause it, the Straits Times newspaper said.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
East Kalimantan forest fires RI's fifth priority
East Kalimantan forest fires RI's fifth priority JAKARTA (JP): Despite the magnitude of losses incurred, raging forest fires in East Kalimantan rank fifth in the government's crisis handling agenda, according to State Minister of Environment Juwono Sudarsono. Juwono told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview yesterday that in terms of priority, the disaster came after the poverty alleviation program, employment generation, public health care and the program to stabilize the rupiah.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
ASEAN Troika optimistic on Cambodian polls
ASEAN Troika optimistic on Cambodian polls BANGKOK (AP): Southeast Asian nations involved in the effort to restore political stability to Cambodia are optimistic that fair elections can be held there in July, a top regional diplomat said yesterday. Domingo Siazon, secretary of foreign affairs of the Philippines, made the assessment after meetings here of the so- called ASEAN Troika and the more broadly-based "Friends of Cambodia" group.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
American citizen shot in drug raid
American citizen shot in drug raid JAKARTA (JP): Police shot a Nigerian-born American citizen, identified as Dennis Michael, in his right leg after he allegedly resisted arrest and tried to flee during a drug raid, an officer said Saturday. Officers were forced to shoot the 27-year-old man, who is suspected of being involved in heroin trafficking, on Jl. Blitar, Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Friday about 9.30 p.m., Deputy chief of Jakarta Detectives Lt. Col. Bakat Purwanto said.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Concerned over minister's statement
Concerned over minister's statement We would like to express deep concern over recent statements by Minister of Education and Culture Wiranto Arismunandar about university student activities. During his tenure as the rector of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), we found that Wiranto established only a minimum of communication between himself and the student body. Even this limited communication took place in an atmosphere of repression, with no dialogs held.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Iran chemical exports down
Iran chemical exports down TEHRAN (Reuters): The value of Iran's petrochemical exports increased in the Iranian year that ended on March 20 but fell short of target because of Southeast Asia's economic crisis, a senior Iranian official said in remarks published yesterday. Mahdi Hosseini, managing director of the state-owned Petrochemical Commercial Company, was quoted in the Iran Daily as saying Iran had exported US$560 million worth of petrochemicals in the 12 months to March 20.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Intellectuals support students demand
Intellectuals support students demand JAKARTA (JP): Intellectuals are calling on students to continue with their struggle for political and economic reforms, lending greater weight to a youth movement that has grown into a formidable force over recent months.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Cyclist Espiritu wins third stage
Cyclist Espiritu wins third stage BATANGAS CITY, Philippines (Agencies): Philippine national team captain Victor Espiritu outsprinted breakaway partner Placido Valdez of Nueva Ecija to capture the third stage of the Marlboro Centennial Tour of the Philippines. The Philippines are proving very strong in the early stages and in the general classification at the end of this stage the lead and yellow jersey is retained for a third day by fellow national team rider Warren Davadilla.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
TV today
TV today TVRI 2:00 p.m. News: Berita 14 2:45 TV Series: The Big Valley 3:05 Management News: Kiat Manajemen 3:30 TV Drama: Lembaran Baru 4:00 Regional News 4:30 Creative Program: Karya Kita 5:00 Indonesian Lessons 5:30 Education Quiz: Cepat Tepat 6:00 News: Lintasan Berita 6:05 Village Program: Rona Nusantara 6:15 Sports 6:30 TVRI News (in English) 7:00 Evening News 7:30 Quiz: Gita Remaja 8:30 Religious Teachings: Budha 9:00 World News 9:35 Sports 10:30 Late News 10:40 TV Series: Baretta...
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Protests for reform continue
Protests for reform continue JAKARTA (JP): Even as fellow students participated in a government-sponsored dialog with officials in Jakarta, demonstrations for reform continued on university campuses in various cities on Saturday. In Yogyakarta, around 100 students from Sunan Kalijaga State Institute for Islamic Studies demonstrated against corruption, collusion and nepotistic practices, which they blamed for the economic crisis.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Oil price drop may trigger further cuts
Oil price drop may trigger further cuts KUWAIT (Agencies): Kuwait and Qatar said yesterday OPEC could decide on further oil production cuts if world prices fell further. Oil Minister Sheikh Saud Nasser al-Sabah said "reviewing additional cuts by OPEC states (would be required) if we find that oil prices are still low," the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ministers are due to meet on June 24 in Vienna.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Asia's insurance to see radical shift
Asia's insurance to see radical shift SINGAPORE (Reuters): Asia's economic crisis could spark radical changes in the distribution and regulation of life insurance sales, a senior executive said. "There is going to have to be a professionalization of the agency sales force in Asia," Chris Singleton, the Asia-Pacific head of distribution and marketing at Swiss Re Life & Health, told Reuters in an interview at the weekend.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Ramos generated $20b FDI
Ramos generated $20b FDI MANILA (AP): President Fidel Ramos' aggressive worldwide quest for investments has generated about US$20 billion worth of business for the Philippines in the last five and a half years, the government said yesterday. Ramos is the Philippines' most traveled president, having journeyed to more than 40 countries in 35 foreign trips since 1992 mainly to scout for foreign investment.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Yogyakarta gets fewer tourists
Yogyakarta gets fewer tourists YOGYAKARTA (JP): The number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting the city, a traditional tourist destination, slumped 25 percent last year over 1996 due to the crisis, the provincial tourist office said over the weekend. M. Ikmal said foreign tourist arrivals dropped to 277,847 visitors last year, from 351,542 the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists visiting the city plunged to 638,552 last year, from 901,575 in 1996.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Selling pressure likely on local stock market
Selling pressure likely on local stock market JAKARTA (JP): Trading on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) is likely to be under heavy selling pressure this week due to increasing economic and political uncertainties, securities analysts and brokers believe. They said over the weekend that most foreign investors, who stayed on the sidelines last week, would continue to stay away from the markets on the grounds that the country's market was mired in economic and political uncertainties.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Call for common forest fire laws
Call for common forest fire laws KUALA LUMPUR (AP): As the spread of wildfires and haze intensifies throughout Southeast Asia, the head of a regional group has proposed drafting common laws to increase the efficacy of firefighting efforts, a newspaper reported yesterday. Rodolfo C. Severino, secretary-general for the Association of Southeast Asian nations, said legal loopholes in each of the group's nine member nations have allowed fires to flourish, The Star newspaper reported.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
IBRA to take over more ailing banks, says Fitch IBCA
IBRA to take over more ailing banks, says Fitch IBCA JAKARTA (JP): The number of banks to be brought under the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) is likely to increase significantly over the next few months as rising levels of bad assets deplete the industry's capital, a credit-rating agency has said. "A likely scenario would involve most of the Indonesian banking sector being brought under IBRA's management," Fitch IBCA said in a statement over the weekend.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Food shipped to Malaysian state
Food shipped to Malaysian state KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Emergency food aid has been sent to more than 500 hungry families in the drought-stricken Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, The Star newspaper reported yesterday. It said a charitable organization, Yayasan Salam, had sent rice and other supplies to 514 farming families in the remote area of Ulu Bengkoka in northern Sabah on Saturday in a convoy of 10 four-wheel drive vehicles.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bank restructuring
Bank restructuring Bank restructuring takes up the largest portion of the 117- point supplementary reform package that was agreed between the government and the International Monetary Fund on April 7, for an obvious reason. The ailing banking industry is one of the central roots of the causes of the economic crisis and the cost of bank restructuring is also the largest among the reform measures.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
For the Minister of Women's Affairs
For the Minister of Women's Affairs From Suara Karya Reading Suara Karya's article Tutty Alawiyah sympathetic with Karlina Leksono's struggle, I share your feelings, Tutty Alawiyah. Additionally, I am thinking of ways to express myself so as to be heard by the authorities to review the steps taken against Karlina and her friends.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Foreign lawyers
Foreign lawyers In The Jakarta Post, April 13, Attorney Kartini Muljadi presented clearly the rationale for the position taken by Indonesian lawyers' groups on foreign lawyers working in Indonesia. Other countries have similar restrictions on the employment of foreign attorneys within their borders. The bar associations of my own country (the U.S.) certainly have tight controls on foreign lawyers. In her article, Ms.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Japan's troubled companies miss opportunities in crisis: PERC
Japan's troubled companies miss opportunities in crisis: PERC SINGAPORE (Reuters): Japan's economic problems are preventing its banks and companies from taking advantage of opportunities arising from Asia's financial crisis, the Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) said.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Japanese workout for Aceh workers
Japanese workout for Aceh workers BANDA ACEH, Aceh: About 400 workers here are ready to be sent to Japan to work under an apprenticeship program, the head of the Ministry of Manpower's provincial office, Prie Soekarno, said Saturday. The youths, mostly senior high school graduates, will be sent to work at electronics and automotive factories in the near future. The length of their stay in Japan will depend on their performance.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Medan on shortlist for PDI congress
Medan on shortlist for PDI congress MEDAN, North Sumatra: Officials here confirmed that Medan is on the shortlist of cities being considered to host the upcoming Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) congress in June. However, with a touch of cynicism, the chairman of PDI's North Sumatra branch, Patawi Bowie, told journalists Saturday that it might be a good idea not to have the congress there since the last two held in the North Sumatran capital ended in controversy.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Missing Megawati loyalist reunited with his family
Missing Megawati loyalist reunited with his family MOJOKERTO, East Java (JP): Haryanto Taslam, a loyal supporter of ousted Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, was reunited with his family yesterday after going missing for six weeks. The 44-year-old politician, whose disappearance caused a public outcry and sparked rumors that he had been abducted by the military, appeared healthy yesterday.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI's 1997 exports up 7.3%, imports down 2.9%
RI's 1997 exports up 7.3%, imports down 2.9% JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's exports rose to US$53.44 billion last year, a 7.28 percent rise from $49.81 billion in 1996, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. The bureau's March bulletin reports that non-oil and non-gas exports made up $41.82 billion of the total amount, up 9.79 percent year on year. Oil and gas exports fell slightly to $11.62 billion from $11.72 billion in 1996.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Insect index drops to five
Insect index drops to five SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Fires that have been ravaging parts of East Kalimantan forests since January this year have destroyed many species of insects, according to an expert. Antara reported that a study in the area had found that the fires caused "the insect index" to decline from 30 to five, signifying a great loss of insects, thus adversely affecting the ecosystem.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Self-sufficiency in soybean supply likely
Self-sufficiency in soybean supply likely By Joko Sarwono BOGOR, West Java (JP): The plunge in the value of the rupiah has forced the government to rethink its strategy of relying on imports to meet the country's ever-growing consumption of soybeans, a vital component of the national diet. The economic crisis has led to the absence of once popular food items which use soybeans -- particularly tempeh and tofu -- from dinner tables across the country because families can no longer afford them.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Three directors quizzed over scam
Three directors quizzed over scam JAKARTA (JP): Three directors of PT Artha Buana Sakti, a subsidiary of the now defunct Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS) Group, are helping police with their inquiry into the alleged illegal sale of company assets worth hundreds of billions of rupiah. The prime suspect in the case is Melinda Wijaya, a PT Artha director and top BHS executive. She is still at large. City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang named the three witnesses as Joko Sutikno, Yudi Susanto and A.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Scholars criticize leaders' conduct
Scholars criticize leaders' conduct JAKARTA (JP): Respected scholars Nurcholish Madjid and Amien Rais sharply criticized yesterday national leaders who used Islam to gain political legitimacy, but whose conduct actually tarnished the image of the Moslem majority.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Book published on N. Sulawesi
Book published on N. Sulawesi MANADO, North Sulawesi: A book entitled North Sulawesi Profile has been published for international distribution by the information ministry's foreign information directorate. The book was published in cooperation with the provincial administration to introduce North Sulawesi's potentials abroad, spokesman of the provincial secretariat, David Bobihoe Akib, was quoted by Antara as saying.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Where to go in Jakarta:
Where to go in Jakarta: Exhibitions * Photo Exhibition: Potret by Benno Harun and Artli Ali at Plaza Indonesia Atrium, Jl. M.H. Thamrin kav. 28-30, Central Jakarta (Phone: 322908), 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., until May 15. * Graphics Exhibition: Grafitasi by Kelompok Grafis Balekambang, in the Exhibition Hall of Institut Kesenian Jakarta, until April 25. Further information call 8094711. * Painting Exhibition: Adi Munardi After Paris! by Adi Munardi at Galeri TC, Jl. Kemang Raya No.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Jump woman suffers hallucinations
Jump woman suffers hallucinations JAKARTA (JP): The 38-year-old woman who jumped from the third floor of Cipto Mangunkusumo General hospital on Saturday suffers from hallucinations, her husband said yesterday. The woman, Sri Darwati, who was severely injured, was in a stable condition yesterday. She is being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Association bemoans fall in tourist numbers
Association bemoans fall in tourist numbers JAKARTA (JP): An executive of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Guides Association expressed concern Saturday that foreign media reports on Indonesia had caused a sharp drop in the number of overseas tourists visiting the city. Jan L. Simandjuntak said the strength of the U.S. dollar against the rupiah should have attracted foreign tourists here but that negative reports on the country had discouraged visits.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
PLN told to honor contracts
PLN told to honor contracts JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto is trying to find a solution to the payment dispute between the state electricity company, PT PLN, and its gas and power contractors. Kuntoro told reporters over the weekend that he had ordered PLN to continue negotiating with the gas producers and the Independent Power Producers (IPP) over the payment for the gas and power supplied to PLN. The negotiations were underway, he said.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Reporters angry with regent
Reporters angry with regent CILACAP, Central Java: Journalists here have lodged a strong protest against Cilacap regent Herry Tabri after he ordered his subordinates not to provide information or make statements to the media. The regent said media statements could only be made by himself or his spokesman Chaeroni. "We will boycott the regent until he agrees to retract his decision," said Ibnu Sofyan, a local correspondent.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
170 foreigners await deportation in detention center
170 foreigners await deportation in detention center JAKARTA (JP): One hundred and seventy foreigners whose deportation has been delayed because they do not have immigration documents are crammed into a detention center designed for 75 people in Kalideres, West Jakarta, an official said yesterday. Spokesman for the immigration Directorate General Mursanudin Ghani said some had been in detention for three years at the holding camp on Jl. Peta Selatan, Kalideres. A U.S.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
CalEnergy more hopeful on Indonesia
CalEnergy more hopeful on Indonesia CHICAGO (Reuters): CalEnergy Co. Inc. has said it is more optimistic about the outlook for its investments in Indonesia with the country's currency much stronger than a few weeks ago. "We are more optimistic about the situation in Indonesia that we were three or four months ago," Don O'Shei, president of CalEnergy Development Co. told Reuters in an interview. The Indonesian rupiah was trading on Friday at around 8,100 to the U.S. dollar.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Misleading budget needs correction
Misleading budget needs correction By Steven Susanto JAKARTA (JP): A long-standing conceptual error had been officially preserved in the construction of the Indonesian State Budget (APBN)) until the IMF team revealed the difference between its definition of a balanced budget and that of the government of Indonesia. It remains a mystery why prominent economists, inside and outside the country, never attempted to revise the error.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Will cigarette price hikes help farmers?
Will cigarette price hikes help farmers? By Slamet Hadi Purnomo SURABAYA (Antara): Retail prices of cigarettes have increased up to 100 percent since the beginning of April. Will the increase benefit farmers? The opinions on the matter are divided. An observer of agricultural and socio-economic issues, Prof. Dr. Kabul Santosa of Jember University in East Java, says the decision by the director general of customs and excise should result in higher profits for farmers.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bank restructuring key to economic reform: Fuad
Bank restructuring key to economic reform: Fuad UNITED NATIONS (Reuters): East Asian banks must reform themselves to better channel international financial resources to productive use, Indonesia's Finance Minister Fuad Bawazier said on Saturday. "This can only happen if our financial institutions are managed such that allocative decisions are made on the basis of economic merit," Bawazier told Saturday's session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Building permits revenue falls
Building permits revenue falls TANGERANG (JP): Revenue accrued by the Tangerang administration from the processing of building permits has sharply dropped because fewer people are constructing houses and buildings, an official said Saturday. The head of Tangerang's development office, H. Ahmad Basari, said that the number of permits processed had dropped to almost zero per day since January from between four and five a day last year.
Mon, 20 Apr 1998, 00:00 WIB
Students have reached point of no return: Amien
Students have reached point of no return: Amien JAKARTA (JP): Calls for students to return to their classrooms and warnings of repressive measures against unruly protests will fall on deaf ears as students have reached "the point of no return", according to Amien Rais. "The students are not afraid of such warnings," the politician and Moslem leader said.