Archive: 23 January 1999
47 articles found
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rational approach necessary
Rational approach necessary While soothsayers and fortune-tellers are popular in Indonesia, perhaps a rational approach to predicting the future would benefit this country more. For example, the retaliatory atrocities committed in Aceh recently surely were wholly predictable given the extent of the resentment that must have built up against the Armed Forces (ABRI) over the past decade in particular.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Caltex 'made dubious $190m business deal'
Caltex 'made dubious $190m business deal' By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia oil company has awarded a US$190 million cogeneration plant project to a company linked with Faisal Abda'oe, former president of state oil and gas company Pertamina, without competitive bidding, a Pertamina official disclosed on Friday.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Protest against alcohol in Timika
Protest against alcohol in Timika TIMIKA, Irian Jaya: More than 1,000 mothers and children on Friday protested in Indonesia's easternmost province of Irian Jaya against the use of alcohol, residents said. "The women along with their children demanded the government ban the licensing of alcohol," Johannes Djonga, a spokesman of the Tiga Raja Catholic Church, told AFP from the town of Timika. "They felt they have suffered abuse and assaults from their husbands and sons who fell victim to alcohol.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
RP rapist set to be executed on Feb. 5
RP rapist set to be executed on Feb. 5 MANILA (AFP): Convicted child rapist Leo Echegaray will be executed on Feb. 5, the first in the Philippines in 23 years, Justice Secretary Serafin Cuevas said on Friday. "We were already furnished a copy of the writ of execution fixing the date to February 5," Cuevas told reporters. The date was set by trial court Judge Thelma Ponferada, whose court originally handed down the death sentence on Echegaray for raping his then 11-year-old daughter in 1994.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Asian air transport to grow
Asian air transport to grow JAKARTA (JP): Rolls Royce plc, a giant manufacturer of airplane engines, has said it expects the Asia-Pacific region to become the world's largest air transport market within the next two decades. Tim Jones, the company's director for Southeast Asia, said in a statement that air transport was relatively underdeveloped in many Asian countries and would present potential for investment once the region's current economic problems had been solved.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Nation in transition poised for elections
Nation in transition poised for elections JAKARTA (JP): The following are the results of a survey on what the people think of the upcoming election, the story of which appears on Page 1.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Salinas found guilty of murder
Salinas found guilty of murder TOLUCA, Mexico (Reuters): The brother of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas was convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison on Thursday in a dramatic finale to Mexico's most celebrated trial in recent history. Judge Ricardo Ojeda found Raul Salinas, 52, guilty of plotting the 1994 murder of Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu, the No. 2 man in the long-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party to which the Salinas brothers belonged.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt, House to drop civil servants issue
Govt, House to drop civil servants issue JAKARTA (JP): The government and senior legislators emerged from a high-level meeting on Friday saying that they had agreed to drop the contentious issue of civil servants' political rights from bills currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives. Civil servants' rights will instead be covered by a government regulation to be issued at a later date. The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to passing the bills by Jan. 28.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Entering the multiparty system
Entering the multiparty system By Mulyana W. Kusumah JAKARTA (JP): Amid the protracted debate on political bills in the House of People's Representatives and the anticipated wide range of legal and political restrictions for the multi-party system, political parties have sprouted like mushrooms. No fewer than 137 political parties with different value and social bases have been set up in the last seven months.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Remains of U.S. soldiers returned
Remains of U.S. soldiers returned JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The chief of staff of the Trikora Regional Military Command, Brig. Gen. Idris Gassing, handed over to U.S. authorities the remains of eight American airmen killed in what was then Dutch New Guinea during World War II. Also handed over was wreckage of the crew's downed B-25 bomber. The formal handover ceremony took place at the General MacArthur Monument at Ifar Gunung in Jayapura.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt to lower CPO export tax to 40%
Govt to lower CPO export tax to 40% JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Industry and Trade Rahardi Ramelan reaffirmed on Friday his earlier promise that the export tax on crude palm oil (CPO) would be cut from the current 60 percent to as low as 40 percent. Rahardi told reporters after Friday prayers that the Ministry of Finance had decided on the reduction of export taxes on CPO and its derivatives and would announce its decision next week.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
SE Sulawesi to recruit 11,000 civilian militia
SE Sulawesi to recruit 11,000 civilian militia JAKARTA (JP): Southeast Sulawesi's provincial government is planning to recruit 11,661 trained civilian militiamen to help oversee the June 7 general election in the province.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rupiah sinks further over riots; baht, peso also lose value
Rupiah sinks further over riots; baht, peso also lose value JAKARTA (JP): The country's beleaguered rupiah fell again on Friday hitting an intraday low of 9,050 against the U.S. dollar as continued riots weighed down the currency. The rupiah, which opened at 8,600/8,800, broke through the 9,000 level as fresh dollar bids by offshore and local operators, reacting to the worsening social unrest, poured in.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
PWRI's stance on political bill
PWRI's stance on political bill From Media Indonesia In connection with the ongoing deliberations of the political bills in the House of People's Representatives (DPR), the Central Board of the Association of Civil Service Pensioners of the Republic of Indonesia (PWRI), whose membership comprises pensioners from the civil service and state-owned enterprises across the country, along with the leadership of pensioners' organizations in ministries, nonministerial government institutions and the...
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Conversion Rates
Conversion Rates Bank Bali's conversion rates on Jan. 22, 1999: TT rates Bank notes rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Influx begins in earnest as crowds return to Jakarta
Influx begins in earnest as crowds return to Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The capital has begun to groan under a massive influx of people returning to the city after celebrating the Muslim Idul Fitri holiday with relatives at home in Java and Sumatra. A sea of inbound travelers could be seen arriving at all intercity bus terminals and railway stations here on Friday.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
TV Today: Saturday, Jan. 23, l999
TV Today: Saturday, Jan. 23, l999 TVRI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 6:00 Morning News 7:00 Children's Program: Lagu Anak Nusantara 7:30 TV Series 8:00 Music 8:30 Documentary 9:00 TV Drama: Diantara Dua Sisi 10:00 Interval 2:00 p.m.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Thai firm to export RI coal
Thai firm to export RI coal BANGKOK (AP): Thai power and mining company Banpu PCL says its new coal mining business in Indonesia is on schedule to put out 500,000 tons of coal this fiscal year to export around Asia. Company President Chanin Vonkusolkit told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview Thursday that revenue for the fiscal year ending in June should climb 15 percent to 4.88 billion baht (US$135 million).
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Habibie appeals for clam over sensitive issues
Habibie appeals for clam over sensitive issues JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie urged the nation on Friday not to be easily provoked by rumors that manipulate polarizing issues such as religious and ethnic group differences and inter-group relations. "Please don't allow yourselves to be incited by such rumors, because it has been clear and firm that our state is based on (state ideology) Pancasila.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Moerdani joins Soeharto in visit to Tien's grave
Moerdani joins Soeharto in visit to Tien's grave JAKARTA (JP): Former president Soeharto and his 150-strong entourage, including former Armed Forces (ABRI) commander Gen. (ret) L.B. Moerdani, visited the grave of his late wife Tien in Giribangun, Surakarta, on Friday. Soeharto and his six children flew back to Jakarta on a chartered F-100 flight after the six-hour religious service to commemorate the 1,000th day of Tien's death. It marked the end of their five-day trip to the Central Java town.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
City Hall workers ignore Sutiyoso warning
City Hall workers ignore Sutiyoso warning JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of city administration employees paid no heed on Friday to Governor Sutiyoso's warning of punishment for those failing to show up for work after the Idul Fitri holiday. In a scene played out every year after the post-fasting month celebration, most City Hall offices were deserted except for two or three employees.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
BI hopeful interest rate to fall below 30% soon
BI hopeful interest rate to fall below 30% soon JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia director Miranda Goeltom expressed optimism on Friday that domestic interest rates could fall to below 30 percent before the end of March as long as uncertainties in the political situation and the bank recapitalization plan could be minimized. She pointed out that at that level the rupiah should still be attractive compared to the U.S. dollar which offered a much lower interest rate.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Asia counts social cost of economic crisis
Asia counts social cost of economic crisis BANGKOK (Reuters): Officials from Asian countries and multilateral agencies have concluded that Asia's 18-month economic crisis had taken heavy social and human tolls in the area. Participants at a two-day World Bank regional seminar said on Thursday economic turmoil had sharply aggravated unemployment, educational and poverty problems in the hardest hit countries Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Holiday Inn has new suites
Holiday Inn has new suites JAKARTA (JP): Holiday Inn Resort Hotel Lombok announced on Friday the completion of 30 two-bedroom Mangsit suites, with four-star hotel standards for visitors. General Manager Helen Jacobe said that each two-bedroom apartment had king and twin-beds with ensuite bathrooms, a living room and dining area, plus a kitchenette. The suites are situated in a coconut grove at the base of a hill on Lombok. The hotel is located on a pristine beach on Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Idul Fitri a real boom time for the fireworks business
Idul Fitri a real boom time for the fireworks business By Juliane Gunardono JAKARTA (JP): In the nights before Idul Fitri it was not only the morning prayers and predawn meals that kept Adi awake. It was also the fireworks. His cousin, who lives next door, had been selling 100 fireworks for only Rp 5,000 since the beginning of the fasting month. Sometimes Adi could not stand the noise anymore and went outside to shout at the children playing with the fireworks.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Aussie consul may be expelled
Aussie consul may be expelled KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The Australian Honorary Consul for East Nusa Tenggara Donald Eric van Cooten is likely to be expelled from the province as the provincial Ministry of Manpower has refused to issue a letter of recommendation for the extension of his visa here, an official said on Friday. The ministry's office head Priyono said Cooten had received a work permit as a staff member of a local foundation, the Yayasan Bina Mandiri.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Cinangka villagers questioned over vandalism
Cinangka villagers questioned over vandalism JAKARTA (JP): Bogor police officers on Friday were still questioning dozens of Cinangka villagers following the destruction of the office of the local Ciampea subdistrict chief on the previous day. As of Friday evening, the police had yet to name any of the villagers as suspects in leading the mob to vandalize the government property.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
KL slams S'pore as opposition warns of new rift
KL slams S'pore as opposition warns of new rift KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A top official from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling party blasted Singapore on Friday for allegedly failing to appreciate Malaysia's goodwill towards the neighboring republic. At the same time, however, Malaysia's opposition warned renewed rhetoric on both sides signaled "another new round of mutual bashing and recrimination" and called for immediate talks between foreign ministers of the two countries.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Angry guards wreck cafes they once protected
Angry guards wreck cafes they once protected JAKARTA (JP): Twenty men hired to guard 170 street cafes in the National Monument (Monas) Park, Central Jakarta, looted and damaged the properties under their care after they were not given an Idul Fitri bonus, an officer said on Friday. Maj. Budiono Sandi from the Central Jakarta Police said that the owners of at least 150 street cafes, most of whom are local television and movie stars, had reported the incident.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rights observers appointed to Aceh
Rights observers appointed to Aceh JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has appointed two liaison officers in Aceh to help record violations of human rights in the oil-rich province. The officers are Dahlan M.H., who is the dean of Syah Kuala University Law School and Saifuddin Bantasyam, who lectures in the same institute, Antara reported on Friday.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
La Nina, poor use of land complicate flood problems
La Nina, poor use of land complicate flood problems By M.M.I Ahyani BANDUNG (JP): Many regions in Indonesia, especially its urban centers, are suffering from the -- somewhat ironic -- problem of floods during the rainy season and a constant shortage of clean water. Experts are blaming it on poor water management and thoughtless land development. Jakarta and surrounding areas, and nearby Bandung, are prime examples of this problem.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Student's lawsuit against city police rejected
Student's lawsuit against city police rejected JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court rejected on Friday a lawsuit filed by Indonesian Christian University student Edward Taurus Karo-karo against the city police for wrongful arrest. Presiding judge Darlan Nasution said the city police had enough evidence to maintain that the arrest was lawful. "The evidence submitted by the police is complete and legal.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Perumka blames delays on unfair bulk buys
Perumka blames delays on unfair bulk buys JAKARTA (JP): State railroad company Perumka, battered by complaints over its ticket sales system, has countered that government and private institutions upset its operations by demanding the privilege of bulk orders of executive class tickets. Company spokesman Helmi Aziz said on Thursday the practice prevented the firm from transparently selling the tickets during the peak season of Idul Fitri.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Death toll hits 45 in Maluku rioting
Death toll hits 45 in Maluku rioting JAKARTA (JP): Tension continued to grip residents of Maluku on Friday as the death toll from the three days of communal clashes there rose to 45, up significantly from the previous day's figure of 24, local police said. Maluku Police chief Col. Karyono was quoted by Antara as saying that 37 people had died in the provincial capital of Ambon, six in the village of Batubulang and two on the neighboring island of Sanana.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Half of RI's WB projects at risk
Half of RI's WB projects at risk WASHINGTON (Agencies): More than half of the World Bank's ongoing portfolio of projects in Indonesia were at risk of failure, the bank said in a report Thursday. "They have not failed; they are at risk, which means we have to concentrate on finding out how to salvage them, restructure them, cancel them, renew them," Robert Picciotto, director- general of the operations evaluation department, told a news conference at the launching of the report here.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Durian plantation
Durian plantation If I write about a coffee, tea or cashew plantation, the reader of this letter would think it nothing new, but if I write about a durian plantation then it is really something. An affluent conglomerate led by Mr. Hartawan (not his real name), prefers to keep a low profile. As is the case with many other conglomerates, they have the uncanny ability to choose which line of business will be profitable, and I believe that this durian business is expected to produce a good profit.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Survey on election
Survey on election Confusion about democratic Survey area prospects in Indonesia Jkt Yogya Sby Dps Medan Total -------------------------------------------------------------------- The current government system is confusing 47.6 69.6 42.9 6.7 41.7 50.0 The political power map is not clear yet 50.0 30.4 50.0 95.5 58.3 46.7 There is as yet no suitable national leadership figure 11.9 4.3 14.3 5.4 Can the next general election Survey area be held in an honest and just Jkt Yogya Sby Dps Medan Total...
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999
Where to go in Jakarta: Saturday, Jan. 23, 1999 Exhibitions * Photo Exhibition: World Press Photo Exhibition: Erasmus Huis, Jl. HR Rasuna Said Kav.S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Phone: 525 2321), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., Jan. 27 - Feb. 11. Painting Exhibition: Dua Nafas by Achmad Syahri and Munadi, Galeri Cipta III, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta (Phone: 315 4087), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Jan. 26 - Feb. 4.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Floods hit villages in Riau
Floods hit villages in Riau PEKANBARU, Riau: A number of villages here and in Kampar district have been inundated following incessant rains over the past several days, Antara reported on Friday. The flooded villages include Meranti Pandak, Rumbai, and Teratak Buluh, where water reached up to almost 3 meters in depth. Meranti Pandak village head Agus Salim said some 1,680 families could be affected if the floods worsen. Makeshift tents have been erected in case evacuation is needed.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Forestry minister seeks to recover diverted funds
Forestry minister seeks to recover diverted funds JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said on Friday that he would do his best to recover all the Rp 23 billion (US$2.8 million) reforestation funds used to buy shares of the now disbanded PT Dua Satu Tiga Puluh (DSTP) jet development company. But Muslimin said he would follow the DSTP liquidation process as mandated by the company's shareholders meeting in December.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ex-governor robbed of his belongings
Ex-governor robbed of his belongings JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta Police detectives on Friday were still tracing the whereabouts of four thieves who stole cash and jewelry worth Rp 300 million from the house of the former governor of West Kalimantan, Sudjiman. According to Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Hope for change lies with students not politicians
Hope for change lies with students not politicians More than 130 new political parties have sprouted up since May of last year when the reformation era was ushered in, but will the people entrust these parties with their hopes for democracy? According to the latest poll jointly conducted by The Jakarta Post and D&R magazine the people are not placing their hopes in political parties, but rather they are trusting university students to deliver democracy to the country.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
From bad to worse?
From bad to worse? Doomsayers are having a field day in Indonesia at the moment: hardly a day goes by without an outburst of violence, big or small, disrupting the traditional composure that has for generations been one of the hallmarks of Indonesian society. Of several such outbreaks that occurred across the country over the past few days, the most disturbing was that which flared up in Ambon, the normally placid provincial capital of the once-fabled spice islands of Maluku.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
In favor of dialog
In favor of dialog There is ample reason to fear that street demonstrations will once again break out in the coming days. Police are reported to have already registered a long list of groups planning to stage such actions beginning next week. We entirely understand why such demonstrations will return. It cannot be denied that many points on our political agenda still need to be attended to.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Irianese want more than pledge of dialog
Irianese want more than pledge of dialog JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Leading Irianese demanded on Friday an official explanation about the government's reported plan to hold a dialog with local community leaders, which would be aimed at defusing tension over demands for greater autonomy in the province. Reverend Nato Gobay said from Biak on Friday the government of President B.J. Habibie should give further details of the planned dialog.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Dead man's body identified
Dead man's body identified JAKARTA (JP): A tatoo helped family members identify the mutilated body of a man found on Wednesday in the Ciputat Baru housing complex in Tangerang. The man was identified as Endang Kusnadi, 34, a resident of Jl. Parkit in Kampung Sawah, Ciputat. He was naked and his left foot and right arm were missing. Endang's brother, Nur Hanafie, said on Friday at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital morgue that he last saw Endang on Tuesday, the first day of the Idul Fitri holiday.
Sat, 23 Jan 1999, 00:00 WIB
Delay elections, say Dayak people
Delay elections, say Dayak people PALANGKA RAYA, Central Kalimantan: Dayak tribal chiefs across the province have requested that the elections of a new governor for 1999-2004 be postponed until after the general election in June and the installment of a new legislative council, Antara said. The tribal chiefs made the request in an open letter signed by one of them, M. Ranan Baut.