Archive: 22 January 1999
53 articles found
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Bandung BI fire being investigated
Bandung BI fire being investigated BANDUNG: Police are waiting for the forensic laboratory results in the investigation into last week's fire at Bank Indonesia on Jl. Braga, Antara reported Thursday. In the incident, a security guard named Wira sustained injuries to his back. The fire first spread from the basement used to store money, the agency reported. Antara reported that a pile of camphor in the basement used as an air freshener was believed to have caused the fire.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Bogus book offer
Bogus book offer From Media Indonesia In connection with the circulation of a letter on People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) letterhead, numbered 179/MPR-RI/99 and bearing the signature of MPR vice chairman Hari Sabarno, which offers a compilation of MPR decrees in book form, we consider it necessary to clarify: 1. Hari Sabarno never made or signed the letter. 2. It is not written on MPR letterhead. 3. The letter mentions a post office box of the MPR. There is no such P.O. Box. 4.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Seven drowned, three missing after boat sinks
Seven drowned, three missing after boat sinks PEKALONGAN, Central Java (JP): A holiday trip ended in disaster on Wednesday when seven people drowned and three went missing after a boat carrying Idul Fitri revelers sank in the waters off Pekalongan, Central Java. The 15 survivors were still in hospital on Thursday, as police, residents and fishermen continued to search for the other three passengers -- Yuniarti, 22, Sunarni, 11 and Sipon, 30.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Soeharto unmoved by protesting farmers
Soeharto unmoved by protesting farmers JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto on Thursday refused to meet with about 100 Kedungombo farmers who marched to his mansion in Kalitan, Surakarta, Central Java. The farmers, whose land was forcibly taken over by the government in the early 1990s for a dam project in Boyolali, said they wanted to tell Soeharto the megaproject had caused them deep misery. They added they wished to ask him to help them out of their distress.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
East Nusa Tenggara prone to unrest
East Nusa Tenggara prone to unrest MAUMERE, East Nusa Tenggara: East Nusa Tenggara Governor Piter Alexander Tallo recently said the province was very susceptible to social unrest and violence as about 85 percent of the its 3.4 million population still live below the poverty line. The governor said many poor families were not able to buy rice or others of their most fundamental needs.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
RI biggest recipient of food aid in 1998
RI biggest recipient of food aid in 1998 JAKARTA (JP): The economic crisis plaguing Indonesia since early July 1997 forced the country to become the world's biggest recipient of food aid in 1998, according to State Minister of Food Affairs and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
TV Program: Friday, Jan. 22, 1999
TV Program: Friday, Jan. 22, 1999 TVRI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:00 Morning News 6:45 Healthy and Fresh 7:00 Children's Program: Lagu Anak Nusantara 7:30 TV Series 8:00 Music: Dendang Pagi 9:00 Music: Hiburan Keluarga 10:00 Interval 2:00 p.m.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Baramuli prefers legal settlement to dispute
Baramuli prefers legal settlement to dispute JAKARTA (JP): A.A. Baramuli, chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council, has said he will not agree to an out-of-court settlement to his dispute with government critics Ali Sadikin and Kemal Idris. Defamation charges leveled against him by the two, who are members of the opposition group National Front, should be handled only through the legal system, Baramuli told a delegation of members of the Solidarity of Eastern Indonesia at his office on Thursday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Citra Marga gets grace
Citra Marga gets grace SINGAPORE (Bloomberg): PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada, an Indonesian toll road company controlled by a daughter of former President Soeharto, said its creditors gave it a three-month extension on the repayment of US$123 million in principal on its floating rate notes. The creditors granted the extension to April 21, at a meeting in Singapore.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Singapore rice distributed to needy
Singapore rice distributed to needy SURABAYA: Almost all of the 500 metric tons of rice aid from Singapore to the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization has been distributed to the needy in East Java, Antara said on Thursday. H.M. Bz. Masyhudi Muchtar of the local chapter of NU said that out of 43 branches of the organization, 36 has received and distributed the rice to members of their communities.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia's forex reserves up
Malaysia's forex reserves up KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's foreign reserves rose 4.8 percent to 104.165 billion ringgit (US$27.4 billion) at mid- January from 99.438 billion ringgit at end-December, the central bank said Thursday. Foreign reserves have been rising since Malaysia introduced sweeping capital controls on September 1. Bank Negara reports its assets and liabilities every two weeks.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
PAL appoints new CEO
PAL appoints new CEO MANILA (Reuters): Chairman Lucio Tan relinquished management control of Philippine Airlines Inc (PAL) on Thursday as the embattled carrier revamped its top hierarchy in an effort to stay in the air, officials said.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Feast, not famine, for Ragunan Zoo residents in the crisis
Feast, not famine, for Ragunan Zoo residents in the crisis By Juliane Gunardono JAKARTA (JP): Going to the zoo during the economic crisis might be the time to play out that hidden thrill of coming face- to-face with a hungry tiger, who is safely behind bars. Both you and the big cat may be doing your own mental measurements. You may be wondering if you are the plumpest, tastiest and healthiest of the trail of humans to pass the feline's way.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Authorities to remove political banners from major streets
Authorities to remove political banners from major streets JAKARTA (JP): City authorities will remove banners placed by political parties along major streets because the areas are officially off-limits to the displays, an official said on Thursday. Banners will be taken down in designated "white areas" where displays, except for government purposes, are prohibited, said the head of public facility orderliness of the city public order office, Tonni Boediono.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Philippine bus crash kills 21
Philippine bus crash kills 21 MANILA (Reuters): A bus fell into a 40-foot ravine in the mountainous province of Benguet north of Manila, killing 21 people and injuring 32, police said on Thursday. More than 55 passengers were on the bus travelling on Wednesday from San Fernando la Union town to Baguio City. It plunged into the ravine when its brakes failed while negotiating a curve on the winding highway, police said. Rescuers had to use ropes to reach survivors in the ravine, they said.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Probe into SilkAir crash to continnue
Probe into SilkAir crash to continnue SINGAPORE (AFP): An investigation into the crash of a Singapore plane that killed all 104 on board in Indonesia more than a year ago will continue throughout 1999, Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan said Wednesday. The Indonesian Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission (AAIC) "expects that the investigation is likely to continue well into 1999," Mah said in a written reply to members of parliament.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Indonesiann sailors suspected of piracy
Indonesiann sailors suspected of piracy INCHON, South Korea (Antara): Fifteen Indonesian crewmen are now being held in China for their suspected involvement in a case of piracy involving the Tenyu, a Panamanian registered freighter that was illegally renamed the SANEI-1, South Korean maritime police said on Wednesday. The Indonesian crewmen have been held by authorities in the Chinese port of Jangjia for about one month for questioning.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
RP wants 100% FDI in retail
RP wants 100% FDI in retail MANILA (AFP): The Philippine trade department is pushing to allow foreigners to own up to 100 percent equity in the retail industry as part of liberalization moves to boost the sector, Trade Secretary Jose Pardo said Thursday. Pardo in a statement stressed the need for Congress to amend the 1954 Trade Nationalization Law which sheltered local retailers from foreign competition.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ethnic Chinese
Ethnic Chinese The feature article titled Poor Chinese, natives live in harmony in Jembatan Lima (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 3, 1999) is both interesting and touching. In small towns and rural areas across the country, the relationship between Chinese-Indonesians and indigenous Indonesians is, in fact, quite harmonious. Mixed marriages like that between Nenny and Wie no longer pose any problems.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Banking on justice
Banking on justice Although almost all agree that setting right the crippled banking industry is crucial to lead the economy out of its crisis, the government's bank recapitalization scheme is facing stiff opposition from most analysts and the House of Representatives. The proposed allocation of Rp 18 trillion of the 1999/2000 State Budget for the program has come under fire during deliberations in the House, even from the dominant Golkar faction noted mostly for simply toeing the official line.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Man stabbed after stopping dispute
Man stabbed after stopping dispute JAKARTA (JP): A 72-year-old man was stabbed to death on Thursday morning by a man believed to have been involved in an earlier dispute with another resident. According to his relatives, Hammim was killed at his home at the Sawah Lama village in Ciputat, Tangerang, about five hours after stopping a heated quarrel between two of his neighbors at the local neighborhood patrol post at 8 p.m..
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Conversion Rates
Conversion Rates Bank Bali's conversion rates on Jan. 21, 1999: TT rates Bank notes rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Violence can flare up where it's least expected
Violence can flare up where it's least expected JAKARTA (JP): The threat of outbreaks of violence and public unrest now hang over the entire archipelago, according to a noted observer. "Anywhere could be affected," said Loekman Soetrisno, a professor of sociology at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
No religious bias in Pakistan
No religious bias in Pakistan Kindly refer to news item Christians in Asia face mounting persecution (Jan. 18, 1999). The article inter alia said that Christians complain of discrimination in Pakistan, where the prime minister has sought to make Islamic laws. Rights of the minorities in Pakistan are protected and guaranteed as enshrined in the constitution.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Train ticket sales hit Rp 15b mark
Train ticket sales hit Rp 15b mark JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta office of state railway company Perumka has managed to earn a total of Rp 15.08 billion (US$1.73 million) in ticket sales from Jan. 9 to Jan. 20, a company spokesman said Thursday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Australian navy saves RI crew
Australian navy saves RI crew MERAUKE, Irian Jaya: An Australian navy search and rescue team rescued seven crew members of an Indonesian ship, KM Darindo, which sank in Australian waters last week. A navy spokesman in Merauke said on Sunday that the ship was on the way from Merauke to Daru, in Papua New Guinea, when it was hit by a huge storm. A navy search and rescue plane managed to save the crew members and took them to nearby Thursday Island. The ship later sank.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Five more killed in murder spree in Jember, NU reveals
Five more killed in murder spree in Jember, NU reveals JAKARTA (JP): The largest Muslim organization Nadhlatul Ulama has revealed that five more people accused of being practitioners of black magic were murdered over the past two weeks in Jember, East Java. "It is so sad that .. .the killing of alleged black magicians is not yet over ...," Reuters quoted Chairul Anam, who heads an investigation into the violence for NU, as saying in Surabaya on Thursday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Police 'not told of any street rallies'
Police 'not told of any street rallies' JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said on Thursday that police had not been informed of any street rallies planned for the days immediately following the Idul Fitri holiday. "No, I have not received any reports," he said in a media conference called to discuss the latest developments in clashes which erupted in the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon on Tuesday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Government urged to prevent violence
Government urged to prevent violence JAKARTA (JP): Observers are sounding alarms over the spate of violent unrest which has occurred across the country over the past few months and demanding the government take concrete measures to prevent further flare-ups.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
BI's net forex reserves rise to US$14.3 billion
BI's net forex reserves rise to US$14.3 billion JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia (BI) announced on Thursday its net foreign exchange reserves rose by US$358.3 million to $14.32 billion on Jan. 15 from the previous week's level of $13.96 billion. Its gross foreign assets also rose by $352.7 million to $23.85 billion. BI attributed the increase to the disbursement of the Asian Development Bank's loans and proceeds from oil and gas exports.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Gang forces families to flee
Gang forces families to flee CIREBON, West Java: Around 100 families from the village of Luwunggeusik in Indramayu have been sheltering in their relatives' homes since a gang of hoodlums attacked their village last Tuesday. Antara reported on Thursday that the gang came from the village of Srengseng. The ringleaders were identified as Solek, 34, and Dilla, 30. Five families remaining in the area said the gang arrived on motorcycles and in open trucks.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Cambodia-U.S garment deal
Cambodia-U.S garment deal PHNOM PENH (Reuters): Cambodia and the United States have reached agreement on levels of Cambodian garment exports to the United States and on the need for Cambodia to ensure proper working conditions in factories, officials said on Thursday. Leaders of the two delegations hailed the deal shortly after it was signed late on Wednesday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Soldier found dead with gunshot wounds
Soldier found dead with gunshot wounds DILI, East Timor (JP): A soldier was gunned down by an unidentified person in Dili on Sunday. Private Marchal Ximenes, a village security guard, was killed with 11 rounds from an M16, military commander Col. Tono Suratman said. He was assigned to the Bahaneo hamlet in Liaruka village in Ossu district, Viequeque regency. "He was murdered in a sadistic manner with 11 bullets and slash wounds," Tono said on Thursday.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rupiah falls as Singapore dollar gains
Rupiah falls as Singapore dollar gains SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): The Indonesian rupiah slipped back on Thursday even as the Singapore dollar regained some of the ground it recently lost against the U.S. dollar. But for the most part trading in Southeast Asian foreign exchange markets was thin and desultory during local hours on Thursday. In North Asia the won was forced sharply lower from the open by an early spurt of dollar-buying, which was widely attributed to intervention by the Bank of Korea.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
24 people killed in Maluku riots
24 people killed in Maluku riots JAKARTA (JP): Police said on Thursday that two days of communal clashes in Maluku had claimed 24 lives, while unrest with similar religious and ethnic overtones flared up in other parts of the country, including North Sulawesi, West Kalimantan and Central Java. National Police chief Lt. Gen.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
U.S. appoints new envoy to Malaysia
U.S. appoints new envoy to Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR (AP): The new U.S. ambassador to Malaysia arrived in the Southeast Asian capital on Thursday amid testy relations between Washington and Kuala Lumpur. B. Lynn Pascoe, a career diplomat, succeeds Ambassador John Malott, whose three-year term ended last month, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Thai deputy PM in lead to become next WTO chief
Thai deputy PM in lead to become next WTO chief GENEVA (Reuters): Thailand's First Deputy Prime Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi was on Wednesday officially reported running strongly at the head of a four-candidate list to become next chief of the World Trade Organization.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Decision on 'ANteve' bankruptcy petition to be given on Jan. 28
Decision on 'ANteve' bankruptcy petition to be given on Jan. 28 JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Commercial Court will rule on Jan. 28 on a bankruptcy petition filed by three foreign banks against private television station ANteve. Presiding judge Sihol Sitompul, who chaired ANteve's second hearing on Thursday, said the station's lawyer had to provide more evidence to the court by the latest on Friday for the panel of judges.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Economists criticize IMF over its policy failures
Economists criticize IMF over its policy failures JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian economists criticized Thursday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for failing to explicitly admit its inability to address the country's economic woes. Faisal Basri said the IMF had instead stubbornly demonstrated its arrogance by defending its widely-criticized measures, including the tight monetary and fiscal policies.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Textile exports to quota countries to fall 20%
Textile exports to quota countries to fall 20% JAKARTA (JP): Exports of textile and textile-related products to countries which impose import quotas may drop by 20 percent this year because part of this year's quotas were used last year, a senior trade official said. The director of exports for manufactured and mining products, Sudar S.A., said the practice of "borrowing quotas" consumed about 20 percent of the quotas allocated for this year.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
What we really need is justice
What we really need is justice By T. Mulya Lubis JAKARTA (JP): How will we solve our economic crisis? Sometimes a sense of helplessness overwhelms me, but only for a moment. I am an optimist at heart, tending to lean toward the side of hope for humanity in general and the Indonesian people in particular. We know that corruption, collusion and nepotism are words of varying shades of gray, running across the entire spectrum of our society in one way or another. What do we expect?
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Idul Fitri in a time of crisis
Idul Fitri in a time of crisis In the context of the conditions which Indonesians are facing at present, Idul Fitri takes on a special significance. This is not only because in this auspicious month and on this auspicious day all people are called on to forgive each other, but because as a nation we need to adopt a new manner of thinking, of looking at things and of acting in order that we will be able to surmount the current crisis.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Idul Fitri influx creates headache for city officials
Idul Fitri influx creates headache for city officials JAKARTA (JP): There is no let up for harried transportation officials, now dealing with an influx of Idul Fitri travelers through the city's bus terminals and railway stations after the logistical nightmare of an exodus in the past week. On Wednesday, the second day of the Idul Fitri holiday, 42,670 people arrived at Pulogadung Bus Terminal, one of the city's major intercity terminals.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Fired employee tries to rob gas station
Fired employee tries to rob gas station JAKARTA (JP): Angry at having been suspended by his boss, a senior employee at the busy Semanggi gasoline station on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta led a robbery with two accomplices at his place of work place on Sunday evening.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Fire destroys street cafes
Fire destroys street cafes JAKARTA (JP): A fire gutted a street cafe belonging to movie and television star Roy Marten in the parking lot of the National Monument park in Central Jakarta on Thursday evening. The fire that engulfed the Bale-bale Roy Marten cafe, designed to house hundreds of small street stalls, is thought to have started at about 3:45 p.m., on the roof of stand number 61, which was made of bamboo and dried coconut leaves.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
WB country director
WB country director As press officer of the World Bank, Jakarta, I am writing to respectfully correct your article published on Sunday, Jan. 17, 1999, in which you state that Dennis de Tray will leave this month as country director for Indonesia, and that Mark Baird will take office in April. I realize that you picked this story up from Dow Jones, and they were incorrect in their facts. Mr.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Vietnam's economy unlikely to improve this year: IMF
Vietnam's economy unlikely to improve this year: IMF HANOI (DPA): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Vietnam on Thursday against implementing protectionist economic policies and said significant growth before year's end should not be expected. "It is fair to expect that under the current circumstances, under current policies, 1999 is unlikely to be any better than 1998," said IMF Vietnam director Eric Offerdal.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Put up with small efforts!
Put up with small efforts! It was good to see Adinda's forceful reply to my initial letter of Jan. 9, 1999, though I may not agree with all that is now put forward. All sections of the public everywhere in Indonesia recognize that change -- change in most things -- is needed. But change, just for the sake of change, is by itself not a good idea. To enact new laws, edicts, decrees and also the methods by which they are to be made, needs considerable thought, and very careful wording.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
240,000 tons illegal logs, wood seized
240,000 tons illegal logs, wood seized JAKARTA (JP): More than 240,000 tons of logs and processed wood were from illegally felled trees transported and bought by wood processing companies in 1998, data at the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations show. Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said recently the data indicated that wood fencing and timber smuggling were rampant in the country.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Private TV stations seek foreign investment
Private TV stations seek foreign investment By Brillianto K. Jaya JAKARTA (JP): The five private television stations in Indonesia are in dire straits. The economic crisis since one and a half years ago has dealt a blow to their operations. Both internal and external problems are growing without a clear solution in sight. Rationalization (lay-offs) as a justification of efficiency and restructuring in a company is an internal problem fraught with dilemmas for the television stations.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
DHL gives tracking service
DHL gives tracking service JAKARTA (JP): International courier DHL Worldwide Express is giving its customers an e-mail-based shipment tracking service called "e-TRACK" as a new feature. PT Birotika Semesta/DHL Worldwide Express said in a statement on Wednesday customers can now promptly receive a shipment tracking report detailing the current status of the shipment, as well as the date, time and location of transit points passed through.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Capital becomes like a ghost city
Capital becomes like a ghost city JAKARTA (JP): Most offices and shops throughout the city were closed on Thursday as city residents were still gripped by the festive mood of Idul Fitri. Most activities practically ground to a halt and the capital was left like a ghost city. A handful of restaurants which were opened were flooded by customers, who mostly complained about difficulties in finding lunch. The habitual hustle-and-bustle of traffic along the major thoroughfares like Jl. Thamrin, Jl.
Fri, 22 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Global indexes
Global indexes Close Date Net Changes 1 Day 1999 New York (DJIA) 9335.91 01/20 -19.31 -0.21% +1.68% London (FTSE 100) 6115.00 01/21* +9.40 +0.15% +3.95% Tokyo (Nikkei 225) 14245.42 01/21 +217.37 +1.55% +2.91% Hong Kong (Hang Seng) 10048.57 01/21 -266.34 -2.58% 0.00% Singapore (Straits Times) 1504.06 01/21 -44.21 -2.86% +7.99% * At 11.27 GMT Source: Bloomberg