Archive: 22 June 1998
44 articles found
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Mexico says Nigeria, RI cheated on oil cuts
Mexico says Nigeria, RI cheated on oil cuts MEXICO CITY (Reuters): Mexico's Energy Minister Luis Tellez on Friday said Indonesia, Nigeria and probably Iran had not complied with their pledged oil production cuts in March's Riyadh pact. Oil producers agreed in a pact from Riyadh spearheaded by Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, to cut 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from world supply as of April, but official figures show cuts weighed in at about 900,000 bpd.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Trisakti observes death of students
Trisakti observes death of students JAKARTA (JP): More than 200 students congregated at Trisakti University in Grogol, West Jakarta, Saturday evening to mark the 40th day of the death of four of the university's students in a police shooting at the campus on May 12. A huge banner saying Selamat Jalan Sahabat (Goodbye buddies) and the date they were killed was displayed at the commons inside the campus compound. No security personnel were deployed to safeguard the ceremony.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Asia-Pacific free trade plan in limbo
Asia-Pacific free trade plan in limbo KUCHING, Malaysia (Reuters): A Pacific Rim trade liberalization plan is being held up by several countries which are unwilling to accept deadlines to open their economies, delegates to a regional meeting said on Saturday. The holdouts at the gathering of senior officials of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum were not immediately identified.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
PWI unimpressed with new press guidelines
PWI unimpressed with new press guidelines JAKARTA (JP): The chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) has urged Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus Yosfiah to scrap a new decree that empowers the government to freeze the publishing licenses of newspapers and magazines.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Misfortune never comes alone
Misfortune never comes alone During my spare time, I muse over the past, present and future of our daily life. In the pre-July 1997 era, it seems to me that life was good, everything was plain sailing. Then came the debacle of the exchange value of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar. The rate before July 1997 was approximately Rp 2,500. Suddenly it began to slide, until it touched its historic low of Rp 17,000, according to newspaper reports.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Washington has no qualms on Sintong's appointment
Washington has no qualms on Sintong's appointment WASHINGTON (Agencies): Indonesian President B.J. Habibie's decision to appoint a retired general who oversaw troops that killed protesters in East Timor to a top advisory position will not harm Indonesia's relations with the United States, AP reported the State Department as saying Friday.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
G-7, Asia tell Japan to swiftly fix economy
G-7, Asia tell Japan to swiftly fix economy TOKYO (Agencies): Top financial officials from the Group of Seven (G-7) nations and Asia on Saturday turned up the heat on Japan to boost its flagging economy saying concrete action was "urgently needed". The group, gathered in Tokyo to discuss Asia's year-long crisis, welcomed in its final statement U.S.-Japanese intervention to boost the yen and vowed to cooperate "as appropriate" in currency markets.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
ADB praises Japan's overtures to Asia
ADB praises Japan's overtures to Asia TOKYO (Reuters): A senior official from the Asian Development Bank said "excellent signals" were sent from Japan at Saturday's meeting of finance officials from the Group of Seven (G-7) and Asian nations. Peter Sullivan, the bank's eastern region vice president, told Reuters that the meeting was successful on a number of fronts, particularly on Japan's commitment to move to improve its economic and financial situation.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
At 471, Jakarta turns a black page in its history
At 471, Jakarta turns a black page in its history JAKARTA (JP): The accent is on the subdued as the city marks its 471st anniversary today. Despite the absence of grand celebrations, the annual Jakarta Fair -- a mainstay of the anniversary's commemoration -- will go on even despite a postponement until July due to the tumultuous economic and political situation.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Yen loans to RI eased
Yen loans to RI eased TOKYO (Dow Jones): Japan will reduce the interest rate on yen loans to Indonesia to help ease liquidity pressures on the Southeast Asian country, government officials said in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's Sunday edition. Interest rates on so-called "structural adjustment" loans -- a new type introduced in April to help countries experiencing sharp currency devaluations -- will be set at 1.0% rather than the 2.2% usually charged on loans to Indonesia.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
TV today
TV today TVRI 12:05 p.m. World Cup Soccer (rerun) 2:00 News: Berita 14 2:35 TV Series: The Big Valley 3:05 Talk Show: Sebaiknya Anda Tahu 3:30 TV Drama: Hari Pertama 4:00 Regional News 4:30 Creative Program: Karya Kita 5:00 Indonesian Lessons 5:30 Education Quiz: Tangkas Cermat 6:00 News: Lintasan Berita 6:05 My Country: Rona Nusantara 6:15 Sports: Monitor Olah Raga 6:30 TVRI News (in English) 7:00 Evening News 7:35 Music 8:00 News: Lintasan Berita 8:05 Music 8:30 Belief in God the Almighty...
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Police say Hindoro's death an accident
Police say Hindoro's death an accident JAKARTA (JP): The city police announced Saturday it believed the death of former Bank Perniagaan commissioner Hindoro Budianto, 52, was purely an accident. The deputy chief of the city police detective unit, Lt. Col. Bakat Purwanto, told The Jakarta Post that witness accounts indicated Hindoro slipped from the balcony, probably when he was trying to escape.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Training for Irian tribes
Training for Irian tribes FAKFAK, Irian Jaya: Experts from Cendrawasih University in Irian Jaya have joined the provincial administration in implementing a training program to improve the skills of tribespeople in the regency. The head of the provincial social affairs office, SP Rattu, welcomed the university's involvement in the program, which also aims to build modest houses for the tribespeople.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI economy shows progress: Fisher
RI economy shows progress: Fisher SAO PAULO (Agencies): Indonesia, which has been the hardest hit during the most recent wave of the Asian crisis, is showing promising progress, IMF's First Deputy Managing Director Stanley Fischer said over the weekend.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Bogor farmers deny land dispute
Bogor farmers deny land dispute BOGOR (JP): Some 100 people claiming to be Rancamaya residents staged a sit-in on the street near 257 hectares of disputed land on Saturday, objecting to a protest by another group. According to the protesters, the demand of the first group of demonstrators, who also claimed to be local villagers, to get back their former land could destroy their livelihood.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Prointegration leader backs referendum
Prointegration leader backs referendum JAKARTA (JP): A Portugal-based East Timorese leader who supports the territory's integration into Indonesia believes Jakarta should have nothing to fear from a referendum in the former Portuguese colony. Abilio Araujo, who has taken up Portuguese citizenship, also urged Indonesia to release separatist leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao as part of the effort to find a lasting solution to the question of East Timor.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Deutsche giant eyes TOT
Deutsche giant eyes TOT BANGKOK (DPA): Deutsche Telecom and several other foreign communications giants have expressed a keen interest in gaining a stake in the Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) -- a state monoply, reports said Saturday. Thailand's Transport and Communications Minister Suthep Thueksuban said the German telecom giant, along with Nippon Telegraph, the Telephone Corp of Japan and an unidentified U.S.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Thailand, RI hold talks on rice deal
Thailand, RI hold talks on rice deal BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand is holding talks to export 500,000 tons of rice to Indonesia in 1998 under a barter deal to help the nation feed its people as they try to cope with a crippling financial crisis, a newspaper said on Saturday. The Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Niphon Wongtra-ngarn, president of the Commerce Ministry's Public Warehouse Organization, as saying that Indonesia had originally proposed to buy Thai rice on a 10-year payment term.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
PLN office extends bill deadline
PLN office extends bill deadline YOGYAKARTA: The Yogyakarta branch office of state-owned electricity company PT PLN has extended the deadline for the payment of May bills from June 20 to June 30. Local PLN office head Isharmanto made the decision after holding a hearing with the provincial council yesterday following mounting calls for the electricity company to lower prices.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Shoemaker mulls court's decision
Shoemaker mulls court's decision JAKARTA (JP): A shoe company producing Nike footwear is considering whether to meet the demands of 19 former employees who a court awarded compensation and instructed the company to reemploy, a company executive said.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia seeks $700m loan
Malaysia seeks $700m loan KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said the country is seeking a further $700 million in funding from the World Bank, local newspapers reported yesterday. "We need a lot of money to kickstart the economy... $700 million, maybe $1 billion. If we can get more, we will ask for more," the New Straits Times quoted him as saying. Malaysia has recently been granted $300 million from the World Bank to finance rural development projects.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Dormant trading likely to stay on local market
Dormant trading likely to stay on local market JAKARTA (JP): Trading activities in the country's paralyzed stock market will remain lethargic this week with the benchmark price index likely to sink further below the key-400 point level again, stock analysts and brokers have said. They said the lack of fresh incentives amid prevailing uncertainty in the country's political front would discourage investors from putting their funds in the local bourse.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Ex-convict denies instigating riots
Ex-convict denies instigating riots JAKARTA (JP): An ex-convict has denied an allegation made by security forces that he was one of the organizers of the violent mid-May riots, which claimed thousands of lives and caused huge material losses. Anton Medan, an Indonesian of Chinese descent who is now a Moslem preacher, said the allegation was totally groundless and his accusers were just looking for an easy target as a scapegoat. "It's slander!" Anton told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Humans move in in fume mystery
Humans move in in fume mystery BANGKOK (AP): Human "sniffers" will be employed where technology has failed to trace the source of toxic fumes plaguing a school in Thailand's Eastern Seaboard industrial area, a newspaper reported yesterday.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Residents protest reopening of hotel
Residents protest reopening of hotel TANGERANG (JP): About 200 residents of Kadu village in Curug district stormed Transelindo Hotel here Thursday, protesting the management's plan to reopen the hotel after it was damaged during the May 14 riot. The protesters, who destroyed the hotel's security guard post and pulled down its signpost, objected because the hotel had a bar and karaoke hall. They demanded the management build a supermarket on the site.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Policy on bank capital falls short: Analysts
Policy on bank capital falls short: Analysts JAKARTA (JP): The government's decision to ease bank capital requirements will not be enough to solve the country's banking problem, analysts say. Pande Raja Silalahi, an economist at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Saturday that the authorities must increase banking transparency to make sure the supervision mechanism works.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Beware of the old forces
Beware of the old forces Sometimes it seems we are perpetually kept in the game of guessing who said what and why they said it. When the Armed Forces (ABRI) warned the nation on Friday against a possible comeback of "old political forces", every thinking Indonesian could easily understand that the thinly veiled reference meant no other than former president Soeharto and his supporters.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Mahathir says he is 'relieved' by Anwar's support
Mahathir says he is 'relieved' by Anwar's support KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that he was "relieved" after hearing a pledge of support at a party convention by his deputy and appointed successor, Anwar Ibrahim. "I feel relieved because of this confession due to his loyalty to me not as Mahathir but as party president," Mahathir said in a speech on the last day of the three-day general assembly of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Minister Akbar installs new inspectors for Habibie
Minister Akbar installs new inspectors for Habibie JAKARTA (JP): Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung has installed four inspectors-general for development and has asked that they all report to him before going to President B.J. Habibie. Akbar said during the installation ceremony Saturday that although the four inspectors had direct access to Habibie, they should, for coordinating purposes, keep him abreast of everything they report to the President.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Italian arrested
Italian arrested JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta Police have arrested a 35-year- old Italian national for allegedly passing off counterfeit American dollars to a local trader. Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said over the weekend that the foreigner, identified only as Rio, was caught in a taxi with his victim on Wednesday evening by a police patrol.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
SMF denies accusations of fraudulence
SMF denies accusations of fraudulence JAKARTA (JP): The publicly listed multifinance firm PT Sinar Mas Multifinance (SMF) has denied allegations that its president, and the vice president of brokerage firm PT Layang Mega Securities (LMS), were involved in a massive fictitious share transaction totaling Rp 51 billion (US$3.65 million). "The allegation made by LMS has twisted the facts and harmed the reputation of SMF," SMF president Francisca Iskandar told journalists at the weekend.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Analysts say strip Soeharto's 'powers'
Analysts say strip Soeharto's 'powers' JAKARTA (JP): Political observers have recommended the prompt removal of any political and economic powers that former president Soeharto might still have, including in the ruling Golkar political organization, to prevent him from making a political comeback.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Heidelberger's cement bid
Heidelberger's cement bid JAKARTA (JP): Germany's cement producer Heidelberger Zement AG has not submitted its bid proposal for part of the government's 65 percent stake in the publicly listed cement producer PT Semen Gresik, according to the office of the state minister of empowerment of state enterprise. Sofyan A. Djalil, deputy head of the office's communications department, said Saturday that the German cement producer would be allowed to participate in the next bidding process.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI nets $4.6m in orders
RI nets $4.6m in orders JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian fisheries have received orders worth US$4.6 million during their participation in the Fish'98 Int'l and Sea Food Europe held in Germany recently. The National Agency for Export Development said over the weekend the orders came from European countries, Venezuela, Egypt, the United States and Russia. The orders indicate bright prospects for Indonesian fish and fish products in overseas markets, it said.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Riots tell of need for a learning society
Riots tell of need for a learning society By Iwan Pranoto BANDUNG (JP): The chaos in Jakarta and Surakarta several weeks ago cannot be erased easily from memory. It was so terrible. Most of the victims were Indonesian citizens of Chinese descent. They were mobbed and tortured. One magazine even reported that one man was forced to rape his 14-year-old daughter in front of his family. That is insane. A lot of women of Chinese descent were raped or sexually abused at the time.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Official in hot water over protest
Official in hot water over protest AMBON, Maluku: Maluku Governor M. Saleh Latuconsina has said he would discipline a provincial official who allegedly helped organize a protest march on the Tual council on Wednesday. Latuconsina said he would not tolerate officials engaging in such rallies, saying they could disrupt security and order. The official was only identified with the initials PR.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Poor private schools likely to face difficult times
Poor private schools likely to face difficult times By Stevie Emilia JAKARTA (JP): Haryadi was unhappy when the government announced two weeks ago the abolition of tuition fees at state schools. It is easy to understand his disappointment. His two children are both studying at private schools. "The government only helps students at state schools," sighed the 43-year-old father. But many other parents whose children go to state schools are not that excited, either.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Reforestation funds rerouted to other uses
Reforestation funds rerouted to other uses By Sylvia Gratia MN JAKARTA (JP): The government has raised trillions of rupiah in reforestation funds to finance the country's reforestation projects, but much of the money has been rerouted to other uses. The idea behind the reforestation fund, introduced in the early 1990s, is clear and simple: it is for reforestation and forest rehabilitation efforts. But in reality, most of the funds raised are not used for this purpose.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
KPC plans to sell part of its shares
KPC plans to sell part of its shares JAKARTA (JP): PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) has no choice but to sell part of its shares through private placement to fulfill a mandatory divestment program, a senior official has said.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt urged to scrap decrees on Sukarno
Govt urged to scrap decrees on Sukarno JAKARTA (JP): The children of the late Sukarno, the country's independence proclamator and first president, is calling on the government to revoke two 30-year-old decrees which slapped their father with the stigma of being a "political detainee".
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Small and medium firms want debt rescheduling
Small and medium firms want debt rescheduling JAKARTA (JP): A group of small and medium-scale businesses under the Reformed Entrepreneurs Forum (FPR) has agreed to form a committee to resolve their unpaid matured debts to domestic banks. The forum's chairman, Naldy Nazar, said Saturday the group would meet with Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin next week to discuss the possibility of rescheduling their debts, Antara reported.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Fuel consumption rises
Fuel consumption rises JAKARTA (JP): The country's fuel consumption rose by 4 percent this month despite an increase in fuel prices by between 25 percent and 71 percent, Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto announced. Kuntoro said he was concerned with the fact and called on the public to more efficiently use fuel to reduce the government's swelling subsidy for the commodity by among others "changing the habit of traveling a lot".
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Openness key to killing rumors
Openness key to killing rumors By Mochtar Buchori JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto made an appeal to the public recently not to believe the rumors that have been making the rounds in society. At the same time he also issued an order to crack down on those who have been fabricating and circulating rumors. Will this stop people from making up and exchanging rumors? I am afraid not.
Mon, 22 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Forbes lists Soeharto as billionaire with US$4b
Forbes lists Soeharto as billionaire with US$4b NEW YORK (AP): Microsoft's chairman Bill Gates topped Forbes magazine's rankings of the world's richest billionaires for the fourth straight year, as his net worth jumped 40 percent from a year ago to US$ 51 billion.