Theater helps heal wounded community By Blontang Poer SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): A pregnant young woman was shouting, smiling and at times complaining about her fate. With her clothes in tatters and her burned face blistered, she was walking among the rubble of a building that had been razed to the ground. The woman occasionally condemned the brutishness of the people who had raped her.

Spotlight Photo A: Heart Sheraton Nusa Indah STRESSING HEALTH: Minister of Health Prof. F.A. Moeleok is welcomed by general manager of the Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort Lothar Pehl and Prof. Asikin Hanafiah, chairman of the Indonesian Heart Association, at the opening of the first Meeting of Asia Pacific Society of Hypertension at the Bali International Convention Center.

Indonesian paintings star at Singaporean art auctions SINGAPORE (JP): Paintings by Indonesian artists, and those with Indonesian scenes by others, have always played an important part in Southeast Asian art auctions. This month's auctions at Christie's, Sotheby's and Glerum were no exception. Art lovers and investors did not hesitate to spend large amounts of money to purchase artworks in the hope that they would later be able to sell them at a profit. The auction at Glerum on Oct.

Presidential appeal With due respect to all the presidential candidates, I would like to make it clear to the People's Consultative Assembly that the next president of Indonesia should be the best citizen who is physically and mentally healthy. A president should serve as a reflection of the nation -- a figure who will stand out both in person and in pictures -- and thus should be nice to look at.

15-year-old boy dies in Manggarai brawl JAKARTA (JP): A student was killed on Saturday afternoon during a vicious brawl in the Manggarai tunnel of South Jakarta, a police detective said. The brawl was between students of Karya Guna Senior Secondary Technical School in Manggarai subdistrict, South Jakarta, and SMU 1 Budi Utomo High School of Central Jakarta, he said. South Jakarta Police chief of detectives Capt.

Da Costa crushed in the semis JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's hope Sebastian Da Costa bowed out to fifth seed Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 6-2 in Saturday's semifinals of the US$15,000 Indonesia Futures F5 at the Danamon tennis complex in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Nothing middling about Midplaza Physically towering above its neighbors on Jl. Sudirman in Jakarta's Golden Triangle, the capital's prime business and commercial area, and symbolically dwarfing its competitors in the office space market, Midplaza embodies the future of office environments. What sets Midplaza apart from its competitors and allows it to lead the market is its unique Superblock concept. A Superblock is an interconnected block of office buildings, hotel, apartments and retail space.

Moving up with Global Silverhawk As economic and political uncertainty continue to shadow Indonesia, investors and companies continue to leave the country, writing off their investments and Indonesian itself. There are, however, a handful of forward looking individuals and companies which see the current situation as an opportunity to poise themselves to lead and take advantage of Indonesia's economic rebirth.

Habibie works to prepare his accountability speech JAKARTA (JP): On Saturday, President B.J. Habibie unexpectedly summoned Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto, Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Sabirin and top government bankers for a meeting to finalize his accountability speech, especially the part concerning the financial sector.

Everlasting handpainted Delft Blue ceramic Famed for its architecture and art, the Netherlands now adds a variety of modern attractions to its age-old allure. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which celebrated its 80th anniversary on Oct. 7, and the Netherlands Board of Tourism invited The Jakarta Post's journalist Stevie Emilia on a media tour from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26 to see the country's main attractions. Below are her report and photographs.

Cancer victim takes her recovery one day at a time By Grace Segran JAKARTA (JP): A year ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The cancer had infiltrated my lymphatic system. Chemotherapy commenced immediately after surgery. I went through eight grueling cycles of chemotherapy, fraught with complications and more hospital admissions than I cared for. Losing my hair didn't bother me much. When it started to fall out in bunches, I took control and shaved it all off.

Bidakara Complex offers integrated facilities When the monetary crisis began to affect Indonesia in mid- 1997, the Bidakara Office Building was a pioneer in office building rentals because it was the first to offer rent, service charges and other costs in the local currency. Within three months of its opening in July 1997, Menara Bidakara had secured an anchor tenant that leased approximately 35 percent of the building's letting space.

Democracy, power brokers in mike-happy MPR JAKARTA (JP): When the newly sworn in members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) held a plenary session on Oct. 2 to vote for changes to its internal rules, I was watching from the Assembly hall's balcony with excitement. This was a moment I had longed to witness. An actual democratic process was happening in this "People's building".

Irianese tribespeople employ pigs in the field By Neles Tebay MOANEMANI, Irian Jaya (JP): Farmers in Indonesia plow their land with the help of water buffaloes. However, Irianese of the Mee tribe in the central highlands of the Irian Jaya province never use water buffalo or even tractors to plow their land. The Mee people have their own way of plowing: they use pigs.

Exhibition presents essence of abstract art By Chandra Johan JAKARTA (JP): The presence of abstract painting in Indonesia was once considered a "great sin". When nationalism was aroused in the 1950s and realism in art was suggested, a number of artists from Bandung, such as Achmad Sadali, Mochtar Apin and But Mochtar, suddenly deviated from social realism and collectivity.

Travelers defy economic crisis JAKARTA (JP): The country's currency, the rupiah, is still fighting hard against the U.S. dollar. But watching packed international waiting rooms at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, or seeing advertisements offering overseas tours in the media, you might be inclined to think that the situation is getting better.

Megawati receives more support JAKARTA (JP): Justice and Unity Party chairman Edi Sudrajat threw the weight of his party behind the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri on Saturday. "We need a new leader and new government which is totally cut from the New Order and I think Megawati is the person," said Edi, a former defense and security minister, after a two-hour closed- door meeting with Megawati.

Street stands destroyed BANDUNG (JP): Dozens of street stands along Jl. Cibadak were destroyed by angry mobs following a fight between a becak (three- wheel pedicab) driver and a trader on Friday afternoon. Eyewitnesses said it all started after Yanto, the becak driver, hit a cart pulled by Udin, a cloth trader. Another trader came and smacked Yanto in the face. Yanto left but, he returned shortly after with a group of people, who later destroyed the stands.

Sri Mulyani wants to be a kindergarten teacher By T. Sima Gunawan JAKARTA (JP): Economist Sri Mulyani, known for her bold statements and sharp analyses, can sometimes be a witch or a cruel step mother. If you don't believe it, you'd better ask her children, Dewinta, 10, Adwin, 7, or Lukman, 3, with whom Mulyani often acts out the famous tale of Hans and Gretel, not in a theater building, but in their house in Bintaro, on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Tangled hair a blessing from God and sign of good fortune By Ahmad Solikhan and Ali Budiman WONOSOBO (JP): Blown by the wind, thick fog moved in a long procession above the Dieng plateau, Wonosobo, Central Java, blocking the sun's rays completely. The cold cut to the bone. For the locals, mostly farmers, cold weather is something they have to endure every day. That morning two small girls with tangled hair were joking with each other and running along the dike between the rice fields.

Reflection of dry religiosity Membakar Rumah Tuhan, Pergulatan Agama Privat dan Publik (Burning Down God's House, A Private and Public Stuggle of Religion); By Ulil Anshar-Abdallah; PT Remaja Rosdakarya Bandung, 1999; XXI and 257 pages including index; Rp 19,500 JAKARTA (JP): The burning down of places of worship, especially churches in Situbondo, East Java, between 1996 and 1997, showed the shallowness of theological understanding about places of worship.

Indonesia's property sector starts its own reconstruction The economic crisis all but snuffed out the country's booming property sector when it struck with a vengeance in mid-1997. It brought to an abrupt halt the huge growth in construction which began in the 1990s. During those halcyon years, gleaming new office buildings and apartments went up around the city as architectural statements of an economy on the make.

Mantra, an effective tool for mind calming concentration By Rahayu Ratnaningsih JAKARTA (JP): Erick, a soft spoken and aloof 23 year old with severe depression, came to one of our meditation retreats. He has attempted at least five suicides by taking insecticide, which he did twice, once mixed with a soft drink, jumping in the river and overdosing on drugs.