CD for crash victims SINGAPORE (DPA): Two Singapore musicians are releasing a compact disc of songs to commemorate those killed in a plane crash that stunned the tiny island nation last year, reports said yesterday. The CD features songs such as End of the Road, which has lyrics penned by a 15-year-old girl who lost three of her school teachers in the crash.

Local hotels, cafes gear up for World Cup soccer fiesta By Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang JAKARTA (JP): Can't get to France but desperate to celebrate this year's World Cup soccer fiesta in true style? Look no further, help is at hand. Hotels and cafes throughout the country are ready to take part in the soccer fun by offering special facilities to entertain their guests in a World Cup atmosphere.

Action film rule in Jakarta theaters JAKARTA (JP): Die-hard fans of action and suspense movies can currently get their eyeful at the city's cinemas. Below is a synopsis of a few currently playing. US Marshals. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey Jr. Director: Stuart Baird. Snipes has replaced Harrison Ford in the role of the fugitive and this time, it is not a bus but a plane he escapes from. Downey Jr.

Guess What? Farouk Afero Ex-boxer Farouk Afero is doing his best to support the reform movement. No, the 59-year-old is not going to return to the professional boxing ring. But the national film award winner is doing more than his share to save the disintegrating national film industry. With 16 friends from the movie and TV industry, Farouk has called upon Indonesian movie and TV artists to register themselves to a new party.

Media join W. Cup competition off the pitch By Edith Hartanto JAKARTA (JP): Despite the economic crisis, the mass media realize the importance of keeping soccer fans satisfied and are battling to outdo one another as the World Cup approaches. "Becoming a soccer maniac is much better than becoming a looter, isn't it? At least the World Cup with all its charm can help people forget the daily misery," Sumohadi Marsis of Bola sports tabloid told The Jakarta Post recently.

Football a welcome respite to daily grind JAKARTA (JP): Political and economic reform has been discussed daily topic for the past five months, but World Cup soccer will undoubtedly become the number one topic of conversation among Indonesians for the next 30 days. Eyes will be glued to television sets across the archipelago, hearts will beat quickly and voices scream in anguish and joy as the trials and tribulations of the tournament unfold.

World Cup mania on a roll in Jakarta The World Cup kicks off in France in just three days, but the frenzied anticipation has been building here for several weeks. Many wonder whether the sporting diversion will put the sizzling reform agenda on the back burner for a while. The Jakarta Post team of Kosasih Deradjat, Silvia Gratia M. Nirang, Ahmad Junaedi, Edith Hartanto, Cornelius Purba and Dwi Atmanta gets into the swing of things.

Salim Said resigns from Jakarta Arts Council JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) Salim Said and six other board members tendered their resignations Friday, following rancorous demands they step down. With literary figure Taufik Ismail at the helm, Hamid Jabbar, Salim, Adi Kurdi, Chaerul Umam, Slamet Soekirnanto and Tommy F. Awuy followed suit and resigned, council member Ratna Riantiarno told The Jakarta Post yesterday. The seven were among 27 members of the board.

Videos to scare illegals SINGAPORE (DPA): Passengers aboard ferries between Indonesia and Singapore are being treated to video clips showing illegal immigrants being arrested and handcuffed by Singapore authorities, reports said Friday. The videos, aimed at scaring illegal immigrants away, also show Singapore officers raiding construction sites and apartments, and combing the jungle for illicit foreign workers. "They are strict with (illegal) immigrants here.

Habibie offers `accelerated evolution' JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia needs reform brought about through an evolution, not a revolution, President B.J. Habibie said yesterday. "We have to realize that everything must be allowed to evolve. But the process can be accelerated. An accelerated evolution is the natural way to ensure the quality of the outcome," Habibie said during a luncheon held for editors of newspapers and broadcast media at the State Palace.

Daring new production house breathes life into RI films By Sori Siregar JAKARTA (JP): Somewhere in Tokyo, a place called Graha Indonesia exhibits and sells sculptures of Irian Jaya's Asmat tribe. A new addition is a counter where visitors can watch videos of Indonesian television dramas. This is how a production house, PT Sinema Sejati, is promoting its products overseas. Graha is organized and run by Seichi Okawa, the Tokyo correspondent of an Indonesian weekly magazine.

Just call me Rudy, says the President JAKARTA (JP): "You can just call me Rudy," gestured President B.J. Habibie. In his two weeks as president, the 62-year-old technocrat has been trying to project a congenial image, and again during a luncheon with chief editors and Jakarta-based foreign journalists he tried to show himself as an average man rather than a patriarch.

Bantul Council finally agrees to axe Sri Roso YOGYAKARTA (JP): Bantul Council (DPRD) unanimously agreed to sack Regent Sri Roso Sudarmo yesterday after he admitted offering bribes to smooth his election to another term in office. The unanimous decision was taken during the second special plenary session of the council which was attended by all members except one, Sri Roso's brother, who asked permission to be excused.

The serious side to RI comics Komik Indonesia (Indonesian Comics); By Marcel Bonneff; Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia in cooperation with Forum Jakarta- Paris, Jakarta 1998; 226 + x pp JAKARTA (JP): Comics can be claimed as the most widely consumed form of reading. Think about it -- have you ever met a literate person who has never read a comic strip? Some newspapers print them daily, and they are hard to miss.

Ancestry: A bad word in Indonesian JAKARTA (JP): Ancestry: It's something quite a lot of people reflect on with pride. There are associations in the U.S. like the Mayflower Descendants and the Daughters of the American Revolution which sing the praises of the heroics of their forefathers and foremothers who settled and fought for the freedom of their country. There are, of course, many time periods in which the acts of past generations should be looked upon with shame instead.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Sari Berita Sepekan 6:30 Morning Focus 6:45 Healthy and Fresh 7:00 Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 7:30 Children's Program: Arena Kami 8:00 Children's Program: Kumbang and Family 8:30 Children's Program: Nuansa Anak 9:30 Creative Program: Widya Wahana 10:00 Talk Show: Etika 10:15 Music: Hiburan 11:30 Talk Show: Bincang-Bincang 12:15 p.m.

Dealer aims at European market By Chandra Johan BANDUNG (JP): In September last year, art dealer Jais Dargawidjaja created a stir in the local art world by exhibiting works of world class maestros. It was near the end of the country's art boom but she still went on with the show, Modern Masters of Indonesia and Europe, at Darga Gallery in Sanur, Bali. Art lovers, including those with no intention of buying, could thus satisfy their hunger for the masters.

Spotlight Photo A: Rano JP/leo HE'S AN ENVOY NOW: Actor Rano Karno (second from left), the leading character in the popular Si Doel Anak Sekolahan (Si Doel the School Boy) television series, poses with other members of the cast who were also appointed Friends of Unicef. They are Aminah Cendrakasih (second from right) and Tile (right). Their allotted task is to raise awareness of the benefits of improved welfare for pregnant mothers and children.

Pakpahan relishing life on the outside By Ati Nurbaiti JAKARTA (JP): The sun was shining on a small garden with a tiny brook and bridge reminiscent of Japanese landscaping. The view was irresistible to Muchtar Pakpahan, who was released May 25, after his year-long bed-rest and five months behind prison walls. "Can we stand over there?" he pleaded with television reporters preparing to shoot an interview.

Military court opens Trisakti trial JAKARTA (JP): The first court-martial session of the Trisakti shooting incident was held at the Military Court in East Jakarta yesterday, as hundreds of students, police officers and the media teamed the courtroom to watch the proceedings. The trial brought two of the 18 suspects -- all of whom are members of the Jakarta Police force -- to the court wearing their respective uniforms and flanked by a strong team of leading lawyers.

'Silat' comics linked to Star Wars? By Laila Faisal JAKARTA (JP): In his book Komik Indonesia, the French researcher Marcel Bonneff writes that every comic within the silat (a form of martial arts) genre shares a common thread. The hero travels through four stages during the story. The first is the "scorned" stage, at the beginning of the tale, which provides the reason why the hero embarks on a search for wisdom and skill. Here, the hero might experience a tragic episode -- i.e.