Archive: 8 June 1998
51 articles found
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Conference on global drug problem
Conference on global drug problem UNITED NATIONS (AP): Leaders of the world's major drug- producing and drug-consuming nations will open a three-day conference today to combat trafficking, curb demand and strengthen global cooperation in the fight against drugs.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Van der Horst to enter oil and gas sector
Van der Horst to enter oil and gas sector JAKARTA (JP): The publicly-listed flexible packaging manufacturer PT Van der Horst Indonesia (VDHI) plans to move into the Indonesian oil and gas sector through a joint venture operation, a top company official said. VDHI president Hadi Sutanto said on Friday that the oil and gas sector had the potential to yield a good return on investments.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Total reform can't come in half measures
Total reform can't come in half measures By Rahayu Ratnaningsih JAKARTA (JP): The nation has just witnessed a critical turning point with the downfall of Soeharto. While the throne has yet to cool, the arena he left behind has turned full circle. People are almost possessed with the power to express everything they could only say in a whisper or to the closest confidants just two weeks ago.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
S'pore medicine too costly for some
S'pore medicine too costly for some KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Cost-conscious residents of Singapore have been heading to neighboring Malaysia for cheaper medical treatment, a Malaysian newspaper reported yesterday. Singaporeans with diabetes, for example, can buy a month's supply of treatment medicine for only two ringgit (5 U.S. cents) in Malaysia, far cheaper than the 600 ringgit they would pay at home, The Star newspaper said.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
S'pore pproperty mart default
S'pore pproperty mart default SINGAPORE (AP): The weak local property market has suffered its first big default, when a Singapore-Hong Kong joint venture missed a deadline to pay 68.6 million Singapore dollars (US$41 million) on a plot for condominium development. Kembangan Properties, a joint venture between Singapore's Eltech Electronics and Hong Kong's Lai Sun Development, missed the last deadline Friday to pay the remaining 75 percent of the tender bid it made last July.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Multipolar workers stage rally
Multipolar workers stage rally TANGERANG (JP): More than 1,200 employees of private retail company PT Multipolar Perkasa staged a protest in front of their head office in Karawaci over the weekend, demanding the company clarify their employment status.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Act of chivalry
Act of chivalry Megawati Soekarnoputri's call on all Indonesians to stop defiling fallen president Soeharto was an act of chivalry. Having endured the same agony of being publicly defiled when her father was ousted, she could indeed empathize with Soeharto's family. However, one should also understand why this bashing occurs, and acknowledge the feelings of the Indonesian people.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Marcos accused of stealing
Marcos accused of stealing MANILA (DPA): Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos allegedly stole a Mother-Pearl icon and a frame containing her picture from a shrine in her eastern home province of Leyte, a report said yesterday. Salvador de la Paz, a representative of the government agency recovering stolen assets by the Marcoses, told the Philippine Star that he has asked the former congresswoman to return the items taken without permission from the Sto. Nino Shrine in Tacloban City.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Community newspapers help boost literacy
Community newspapers help boost literacy By A Chaedar Alwasilah BANDUNG (JP): British sociologist Basil Bernstein (1958) introduced a theory of linguistic deficiency, hypothesizing that access to social privileges depends to a certain extent on one's linguistic ability to communicate. Socially disadvantaged people are characterized by a restricted language code, while the socially privileged are associated with an elaborated code.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
PAL fires al striking pilots
PAL fires al striking pilots MANILA (AP): Philippine Airlines announced yesterday it was firing all striking pilots who had defied a return to work order, plunging the financially-troubled airline into one of its biggest labor crises. The pilots continued a strike and staged a protest march yesterday, defying airline threats of dismissal unless they return to work. The strike began last Friday, forcing international and domestic flight cancellations and stranding hundreds of passengers.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Political doubt remains problem in capital mart
Political doubt remains problem in capital mart JAKARTA (JP): High interest rates and political uncertainty will continue to cast a shadow over the capital market in the immediate future, analysts have said.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Real bullet found exhumed body of Trisakti student
Real bullet found exhumed body of Trisakti student JAKARTA (JP): A real bullet was removed from the body of one of four Trisakti University students killed during a demonstration on May 12, a forensic expert said yesterday. Mun'im Idries of the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital said the body was exhumed yesterday from South Jakarta's Tanah Kusir Cemetery at the request of the Jakarta Military Police Command in order to remove the bullet from the body of Heri Hartanto.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Sumatran rhinos becoming fewer
Sumatran rhinos becoming fewer KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Fewer than five endangered Sumatran rhinoceros have survived in a major wildlife habitat in West Malaysia, a local newspaper reported yesterday. A survey conducted by Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks indicated the number of rhinoceros in the Endau- Rompin forest in central Malaysia has dwindled drastically since the late 1970s. The wildlife department counted up to 30 rhinoceros about 25 years ago.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Govt faces hurdles in distributing cooking oil
Govt faces hurdles in distributing cooking oil JAKARTA (JP): The government has admitted that obstacles in the cooking oil distribution chain are still hampering efforts to stabilize the price and ensure a constant supply of the essential commodity. Minister of Industry and Trade Rahardi Ramelan said on Friday that market distortions were thwarting the ministry's attempts to keep the price of cooking oil affordable for all Indonesians.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Human rights activist takes firm line on corruption
Human rights activist takes firm line on corruption It is no secret that corruption is a rampant practice in Indonesia, inflicting huge losses to the state. Last month, a number of people set up the Movement of Concerned Citizens on State Assets (Gempita) in their effort to save the misappropriated state assets. The Jakarta Post's T. Sima Gunawan interviewed a member of the group, Baharuddin Lopa, who is also Secretary General of National Commission of Human Rights.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
A blot on our record
A blot on our record It is easy to assert that the riots that swept through Jakarta from May 13 to May 15 were the most savage the Indonesian capital has seen in as long as most Jakartans can remember. Everybody witnessed or watched on TV some of the violence, looting and burning that killed more than 1,000 people and caused immeasurable damage in terms of lives disrupted and property lost.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
RI economy on treshhold of depression, Sumitro says
RI economy on treshhold of depression, Sumitro says JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's economics guru Sumitro Djojohadikusumo is suggesting that the government use US$3 billion to $5 billion out of the IMF-arranged $43 billion bailout fund to recapitalize millions of small and medium-scale businesses that have become virtually paralyzed.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
SE Asian growth sustainable only after fiscal reform
SE Asian growth sustainable only after fiscal reform SINGAPORE (AP): Sustainable growth could return to Southeast Asia in three to five years, but only after financial and banking reform, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said in remarks made available yesterday.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Hayono names three as possible Golkar head
Hayono names three as possible Golkar head JAKARTA (JP): Former minister of sports and youth affairs Hayono Isman has named former vice president Try Sutrisno, Yogyakarta's Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and former minister of defense Edi Sudrajat as potential candidates to replace incumbent Harmoko as Golkar chief at an extraordinary congress next month.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Everyone concerned about nation is `indigenous': Habibie
Everyone concerned about nation is `indigenous': Habibie JAKARTA (JP): Every citizen concerned about and committed to improving the fate of the nation is indigenous, regardless of their ethnic group, President B.J. Habibie said here Saturday. Habibie told a group of mass media leaders at the Wisma Negara state guesthouse that even a person of Bugis ethnicity from South Sulawesi was considered a nonindigenous "if he thinks only of himself and doesn't care about the nation's problems".
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Customs and excise chief calls it quits
Customs and excise chief calls it quits JAKARTA (JP): Soehardjo, former president Soeharto's brother- in-law, has quit his position as director general of customs and excise to give way to the smooth process of reform at his office. Soehardjo said yesterday he had resigned as of Friday and had sent his resignation to President B.J. Habibie and a copy to the finance minister.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Size issue in forestry areas
Size issue in forestry areas JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Forestry and Plantations is mulling the possibility of setting a minimum size for forest concession areas operated by timber companies, a senior official said Friday. Head of the ministry's research and development agency Toga Silitonga said very small concession areas made it unfeasible to manage forests in an environmentally sustainable manner. "Managing larger area of forests will be more profitable and more economical.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Regent makes move against nepotism
Regent makes move against nepotism JAKARTA (JP): Bogor Regent Eddie Yoso Martadipura has abruptly canceled the appointment of his son-in-law Iskandar as the new head of the town's planning agency, saying that the latter has not yet received the governor's decree for the job. Eddie was supposed to install Iskandar together with other senior officers on Friday.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
IPB calls on alumni to help farmers
IPB calls on alumni to help farmers BOGOR (JP): Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) has offered all of its graduates the chance to participate in a two year scheme which they said could help country farmers to increase the yield and quality of their crops. In a speech read out after a graduation ceremony on Saturday, rector Soleh Solahuddin said the time was ripe for IPB alumni to demonstrate their agricultural acumen and help the country through the economic crisis.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Wells, lakes best way to fight floods
Wells, lakes best way to fight floods By Sapto HP JAKARTA (Antara): The huge flood which swamped Jakarta in 1996 is still fresh in our minds. It wrought havoc on the lives of people living near riverbanks from Manggarai to the Thamrin- Sudirman area. The flood was exceptionally widespread. Communities previously spared from inundations were saddled with the tedious task of clearing away mud and debris left after the water subsided.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia forms multimedia ministry
Malaysia forms multimedia ministry KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia will merge its information ministry and the energy, telecommunications and posts portfolio, the national Bernama news agency reported yesterday. Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat was quoted as saying his ministry and that of energy, telecommunications and posts would be merged under a proposed multimedia ministry.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia cuts tourism target
Malaysia cuts tourism target KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia has lowered its targets on tourist arrivals for the next three years following last year's poor showing, a newspaper said Saturday. This year, Malaysia hopes to attract 6.8 million tourists, a sharp drop from an earlier target of 10.5 million visitors. The country has set a target of seven million for 1999 and 7.5 million for 2000, the Business Times said.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Where to go in Jakarta: Monday, June 8, 1998
Where to go in Jakarta: Monday, June 8, 1998 Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition: Fenomena Ayam, by Syarief Hidayat, at Galeri TC, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 24A, South Jakarta (Phone: 7194278), Sunday, at 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., until June 30. * Art Exhibition: Works of Suromo, at Lontar Gallery, Jl. Utan Kayu 68 H East Jakarta (Phone: 8573388), 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., June 8.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Minister asked to punish plantation firms
Minister asked to punish plantation firms JAKARTA (JP): The provincial office of the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations in West Kalimantan is seeking the revocation of the licenses of 21 palm oil and rubber plantation companies in the province. The office's head, Karsan Sukardi, said Friday that he would call on the minister to terminate the licenses of the 21 plantation companies because they had deserted large tracts of land.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Jakarta: The good, bad and ugly
Jakarta: The good, bad and ugly I am an American expatriate teaching in Surabaya. On May 28, I had to visit the Attorney General's Office in Jakarta about a problem I had. While in Jakarta, I had a chance to see and experience the worst and best the capital currently has to offer expats. I will begin with the bad, go to worse and worst and end with the good because it was so surprising.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Thousands bury reform activist
Thousands bury reform activist SURAKARTA, Central Java: Thousands of people, mostly students, thronged to the reburial of reform activist Leonardus "Gilang" Nugroho Iskandar who was found dead in East Java last month. Mourning for the activist who was also known as a street singer, the crowd marched down the city streets from the secretariat of the Solo Students Reform Committee, causing heavy congestion, Antara reported yesterday.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Free and fair press
Free and fair press Freedom of expression, that inalienable right guaranteed by our Constitution, has flourished in Indonesia these past few months after being virtually missing for more than two decades. It has returned together with the current reform movement. The demand for sweeping changes could not have been as well articulated were it not for the insistence of students and reform campaigners to exercise their constitutional right.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
PLN annuls deal with private firm
PLN annuls deal with private firm JAKARTA (JP): State-owned electricity company PLN has unilaterally annulled its power purchase contract with PT Cikarang Listrindo after the latter refused to renegotiate their deal. PLN president Djiteng Marsudi told reporters Saturday he had notified Cikarang Listrindo, an independent power producer owned by former president Soeharto's cousin Sudwikatmono, that his firm would stop buying power from it beginning June 15.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Law needed to protect minority interests
Law needed to protect minority interests The mass rioting in Jakarta and other cities in the middle of May badly affected many businesses owned by Chinese Indonesians. Director of the Indonesian Business Data Center, Christianto Wibisono,proposes measures to revive their businesses. Question: How much do you estimate the direct losses incurred by the arson, destruction and looting in the recent rioting?
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Lee warns of yuan devaluation
Lee warns of yuan devaluation SINGAPORE (Reuters): Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew said further depreciation of the Japanese yen against the dollar could pressure China eventually into letting the yuan fall, state television said on Saturday. Lee, the republic's prime minister from 1959 to 1990, was on an official visit to Tokyo when he spoke of the effects of the Asian economic crisis on China at a conference.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
City officials lambasted over huge budget losses
City officials lambasted over huge budget losses JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor lambasted city administration officials yesterday for chronic corruption and collusion practices as the reason behind the huge amount of money missing from the city budget. Djafar Badjeber, head of Commission B for economic affairs, said many officials from the lowest to the highest ranks were involved in the malfeasance mainly due to the absence of control and supervision.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Nahdlatul Ulama set to establish new political party
Nahdlatul Ulama set to establish new political party SEMARANG (JP): Hundreds of leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) have agreed to set up a political party -- 14 years after Indonesia's largest Islamic organization shunned politics.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
House should 'scrutinize' candidates for keys posts
House should 'scrutinize' candidates for keys posts JAKARTA (JP): Political scientist Ryaas Rasyid, a member of a committee reviewing the five political laws which govern the current political system, said the House of Representatives should be given the right to scrutinize candidates chosen by the President to hold prominent positions.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Sjahril disappointed by rupiah
Sjahril disappointed by rupiah BASEL (Dow Jones): Life has been hard recently for Indonesian Central Bank Governor Sjahril Sabirin, and he doesn't see it getting much easier in months to come. Still, he does see some bright spots. Although preparing to reduce his year-end target for the rupiah against the dollar and expecting a significant drop in his country's gross domestic product, Sjahril was at least optimistic that the political upheaval in Indonesia was coming to an end.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Public expects more from 'freed' press
Public expects more from 'freed' press JAKARTA (JP): The government's decision last week to eliminate press bans has caused a surge in public expectations over the roles the media should play in society. Communications expert M. Budyatna and political commentator Wimar Witoelar, interviewed separately Saturday and yesterday, agreed the newfound freedom meant the media would have to be managed even more professionally, and that it should facilitate even further reform.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
S'pore RI exposure declines
S'pore RI exposure declines SINGAPORE (Reuters): United Overseas Bank has cut its $999 million Singapore dollars loan exposure to Indonesia as of the end of 1997 by about one third, a bank spokeswoman said on Saturday. She said the bank's net exposure to Indonesia was S$660 million as of April 30, 1998, of which S$240 million involved Indonesian banks.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Internet replaces bamboo spears in fight for freedom
Internet replaces bamboo spears in fight for freedom By Hanny Agustine JAKARTA (JP): Remember when you were in primary school and asked "What did Indonesian heroes use to fight against the Dutch in 1945?" The answer: Many used bamboo spears. At that time such simple weapons proved to be useful in fighting for independence. Students and pro-democracy activists employed different tools to "overthrow" Soeharto.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Soeharto greets birthday in different atmosphere
Soeharto greets birthday in different atmosphere JAKARTA (JP): Soeharto once told B.J. Habibie that it was lonely at the top. The former president who turns 77 today may be finding life can be even lonelier at the bottom. Less than a month ago, 202 million Indonesian people called him president, but now only his trained parrot at home -- screeching "Good morning Bapak president" -- does. For the first time in 32 years, Soeharto greets his birthday in a totally different atmosphere.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
TV today
TV today TVRI 2:00 p.m. News: Berita 14 2:35 TV Series: The Big Valley 3:05 Talk Show: Sebaiknya Anda Tahu 3:30 TV Drama: Kado 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 Teen Music: Gelar Music Remaja 8:00 News: Lintasan Berita 8:05 Teen Music: Gelar Music Remaja (contd.) 8:30 Belief in...
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Newmont's gold yields surge in first quarter
Newmont's gold yields surge in first quarter JAKARTA (JP): Private gold mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (PTMNR) reported an increase in gold production to 58,000 ounces in the first quarter of this year, 49 percent more than the 39,000 ounces produced in the same period last year. Company general manager Paul Lahti said the increase was due to growing mining and processing operations and the improved infrastructure in the Messa area of North Sulawesi.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Three states to join naval operations
Three states to join naval operations PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Singapore and Japan will take part in naval civic operations in South Sumatra, Palembang Navy Chief Commodore Nuranto was quoted by Antara as saying here Saturday. The operations will be launched by Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Arief Kushariadi here tomorrow and in the presence of his Singaporean counterpart, Nuranto said.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Misperception on ethnic Chinese
Misperception on ethnic Chinese Demands for reform in all fields are being yelled out everywhere. I would like to suggest the reformers reform the misleading perception toward ethnic Chinese. It is common knowledge that some Indonesians relate the majority of Chinese- Indonesians who were born in this country with riches. This perception, which is not correct, will hurt national unity and have a bad impact on the county's development.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Nation needs fresh elections soon
Nation needs fresh elections soon By T. Mulya Lubis JAKARTA (JP): Waves of student demonstrations helped force Soeharto to resign, but the demands for reinstatement of the people's sovereignty are still far off the target. B.J. Habibie's appointment as president does not reflect a manifestation of the people's democracy at all because he was Soeharto's choice. This was done by virtue of the stipulations of Article 8 of the 1945 Constitution.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
Parents storm school over sudden tuition fee hike
Parents storm school over sudden tuition fee hike TANGERANG (JP): Over 150 students' parents stormed private Ricci II Catholic school on Jl. Utama II near Bintaro here on Saturday in protest of the school management's decision to raise tuition fees by up to 50 percent without consulting them.
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
List of several Indonesian-related sites and homepages:
List of several Indonesian-related sites and homepages: Gema Madani (http://www.pdat.com/madani/) Indo Chaos!!
Mon, 08 Jun 1998, 00:00 WIB
No new dengue cases last week
No new dengue cases last week JAKARTA (JP): City hospitals have not received any new dengue patients beginning last week, an official said Saturday. City Health Office spokeswoman Maryani said the good news seemed to contradict a World Health Organization prediction that the country's dengue fever outbreak would peak in May and June.