Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant Have you ever dreamed of spoiling your beloved family or loved ones by taking them to Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant? There is no need to imagine its fantastic beach-style decor and pleasant atmosphere, which was created in Singapore by Mr. Lim Choon Nge in 1962. Now in Jakarta, this franchise restaurant is located in the prestigious Wisma 46 Kota BNI, 1st Floor, Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1, and has a beautiful skylight.

Singapore Muslims asked to skip Valentine SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore Muslims have been advised by their religious leaders not to celebrate Valentine's Day on Sunday because of its non-Islamic origins despite the modern commercialization of dining out and buying flowers, presents, candy or card for one's sweetheart.

Steps to ward off hypertension in kids SEMARANG (JP): The medical world is paying increasing attention to hypertension among children and youths, especially after the finding that about five percent of children worldwide suffer from it. "This health problem should be handled seriously otherwise it may cause death or permanent disability," says Lydia Kristanti, expert in child health from Diponegoro University, Semarang.

Bishop Belo urges immediate referendum DILI, East Timor (JP): In the face of repeated statements by the government that it wants to let East Timor go in a short time, a referendum is needed now to let the East Timorese have their own say, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo has said. The colaureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize said that while President B.J.

Hosts of 2002 World Cup have work cut out for them TOKYO (AFP): For officials of Japan and South Korea, joint hosts of the 2002 soccer World Cup, trips between each other's capitals have become routine as they try to bridge more than the stretch of water that separates them. "We are optimistic but it's really a big challenge," said Tadao Murata of the Japan Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan (JAWOC), mindful of the enormous tasks to be completed by June 2002.

Exploring various avenues at Jakarta's bars and cafes Anton entered the cafe wearing a red Manchester United shirt with the number 11 blazoned across the back. There the similarity between him and the Welsh wing wizard ends. This young man from Gorontalo is, you might say, a well-rounded figure, a little plump. And he looks very content with life for the most part. Well he might.

Year of the Rabbit: A time for self-sacrifice By Mauro Rahardjo BANDUNG (JP): A current of foreboding links numerous recent articles in the mass media forecasting events in the year ahead. Our instincts sense that 1999 may not be an improvement on the previous explosive year and may not be able to deliver any promised solutions. Anticipation of the year's political agenda is difficult due to a variety of prevailing uncertainties.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. News 7:00 Morning Focus 7:15 Healthy and Fresh 7:00 Religious Teachings 7:30 Children's Program 8:00 Children's Program 8:30 Children's Program 9:30 Creative Program 10:00 Family's Skill 11:30 Talk Show 12:15 p.m.

'Mighty Joe Young' a tame King Kong for the kids JAKARTA (JP): How would you describe a film about a 20-foot gorilla running amok in an American metropolis? King Kong. An "ape", excuse the pun, of the classic King Kong movies is what audiences will probably be saying after they see Mighty Joe Young. This film is by no stretch of the imagination an original. And technology seems to be the only reason Disney felt they had to remake Ernest B. Schoedsack's 1949 stop-motion movie.

GP Ansor chief dies in car accident JAKARTA (JP): Muhammad Iqbal Assegaff, chairman of the six- million-strong Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor), died from injuries suffered in a car accident on the Cawang-Tanjung Priok toll road on Saturday. He was 41. His wife, Siti Rachmah, 34, sustained a broken right collarbone during the afternoon accident. She was rushed to nearby Islamic Hospital and admitted with her husband, according to nurses. "She is resting now.

La Nina, My Love Angels are descending from heaven and dark clouds are heading toward Indonesia The La Nina God has sent us your love Dances are seen and yells are heard from the air, all angels happily wave their hands, flapping their wings and strewing drizzle while singing the songs of thunder La Nina, La Nina, your name smells so sweet wetting all leaves, twigs, stones, animals, human kind on the whole of planet Earth But Jakarta remains silent, swallowing water but feeling disturbed in its...

Senior painters serenade colors By Pavan Kapoor JAKARTA (JP): Yudha Citra Promo has again agglomerated various senior artists from the Seniman Peduli (Artists Care) group. They are displaying their works in a painting exhibition titled Serenade of Colors at the Shangri-La Hotel in Central Jakarta. Justika S. Baharsyah, the minister of social affairs, opened the exhibition on Feb. 3. It will run until Feb. 24.

Don't let East Timor go From Merdeka Regarding the issue of East Timor, I do not want East Timor to separate from Indonesia because the separation of East Timor would have a negative impact on both the Indonesia people and the East Timorese themselves. Is East Timor really ready to be independent, taking into account the fact that this province has been integrated into Indonesia for only 23 years?

Sports Council urged to improve performance By Primastuti Handayani JAKARTA (JP): Although Indonesia won six gold, 10 silver and 11 bronze medals at the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in December, many sports experts expressed their dissatisfaction with the results, saying that national athletes could have done better.

Tanri latest street crime victim JAKARTA (JP): Street criminals on the prowl for vehicle side mirrors practice a strict nondiscrimination policy. Finding out the identity of the car owner is not a priority. Whether the occupant is a VIP or regular citizen does not enter into their single-minded pursuit of the prized mirrors. Case in point is an attempted robbery on Saturday afternoon at the traffic light in front of Mal Ciputra shopping center in Grogol, West Jakarta.

RI navy plane spots victims JAKARTA (Reuters): The Indonesian navy has discovered 19 bodies believed to be those of passengers on a ship which sank in the South China Sea last weekend, the Antara news agency said on Saturday. The bodies were spotted by a navy plane on Friday about 60 nautical miles from Pontianak, the provincial capital of West Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo island.

Fertilizer crisis heaps on the social tension SEMARANG (JP): Mulyadi, his hands and feet drenched with mud, sat daydreaming on a dike of his farm. Puffing his cigarette once in a while, the 50-year-old farmer in Wonogiri set his eyes on the paddy crop he planted a week before. He was disappointed because his crop had not grown properly as expected. It has turned yellowish because it lacked fertilizer. Mulyadi can no longer afford to buy fertilizer after the price doubled and even tripled.

Country Style offers donuts and much more Country Style, the Canadian donut and sandwich franchise now making its mark in Indonesia, knows a rigid menu should not dominate breakfast, lunch and dinner, or any culinary diversions taken in between. It recognizes that variety is the spice of life in keeping consumers happy and coming back for more of their old-time favorites, plus new items to tickle their taste buds.

Ambary devotes life to Islamic archeology By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): Unearthing stones, artifacts and the skeletal remains of ancient humans in remote areas may sound like an unappealing job to many people, but not to Hasan Muarif Ambary. Born sixty years ago in Kuningan, West Java, Ambary, a professor of archeology, is one of the very few scholars who has devoted his entire working life to the development of archeology in Indonesia.

U.S. told not intervene MANILA, Philippines (AP): Philippine President Joseph Estrada said Saturday the United States should stay out of a territorial dispute over islands claimed by six nations. Estrada indicated that the Philippines may not be able to invoke a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States in case of an attack against Filipinos on the Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

Questioning ABRI's hegemony on politics Hegemoni Tentara (Army's Hegemony); M. Najib Azca; Introduction by Herbert Feith; LKis, 1998; xiii + 284 JAKARTA (JP): The political role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) has again come under public scrutiny. This time, the trigger is a string of incidents which suggests the military's involvement as a country's instrument of violence against civilians.

History blamed for assimilation's failure JAKARTA (JP): Disharmony between ethnic Chinese and indigenous communities was the failure and "success story" of Soeharto's regime, which included the dominant political party Golkar and the Armed Forces (ABRI), analysts say. According to Rusdi Muchtar, a researcher at the National Institute of Science, the Soeharto regime "cornered" and abused this ethnic minority.

Exhibition puts tourism under the microscope By Tjahjono Ep. YOGYAKARTA (JP): It was a quiet morning at Via-via cafe on Jl. Parangtritis. Several employees busied themselves preparing meals probably ordered by foreign tourists a day or two before. A woman looked at a photobox created by J. Ulis, a 28-year-old student from the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta. She smiled, shook her head and went back to her seat for breakfast.

Chinese-Indonesians hold new year hope Millions of Chinese-Indonesians, like other Chinese communities around the world, will celebrate the Lunar New Year, Imlek, on Tuesday. The Year of the Rabbit celebration in Indonesia is expected to be the sweetest in over 30 years because the fall of former president Soeharto has raised hopes among Chinese-Indonesians for improved respect of their ancestral culture and basic human rights. The Jakarta Post reporters Aloysius Unditu, Emmy Fitri, K.

Encouraging pluralism would create a richer RI culture JAKARTA (JP): A nation-building process is never ending. "It's a struggle," says a seasoned political observer of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Harry Tjan Silalahi. Back when Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch, social enclaves -- those already in existence or those created -- were maintained. "That way, they could set the prize according to the entities they were dealing with," Harry said.

The Amstel Trio The Amstel Trio is one of six musical ensembles currently in the country performing at a festival representing six of the European Union's 15 member countries. This unique group of musicians presents harmonious musical arrangements without each member losing his or her individual character. The European Union Music Festival: Music of the 20th Century is being held from Feb.

One killed in boat accident KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): One Indonesian died and another 11 were missing after their boat capsized in strong winds along Malaysia's narrow Straits of Malacca last week, officials said Saturday. A survivor was rescued by a passing merchant ship, a spokesman for the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center told AFP.

Spotlight Photo A: Donation Ida Sudoyo & Associates TENDER LOVING CARE: Head of the health ministry's Directorate of Community Health Dini Latief (center) accepts a donation from Zwitsal through president director of Kiwi Brands Indonesia, Don Godsden (right), watched by Sarsito Sarwono of the Muslimin Orphanage.

Post office service From Republika I am disappointed with the service of PT Pos Indonesia. Many of the letters and packages sent by my pen friends from the Netherlands are never delivered to me. For example, letters and packages sent last year by Jan In't Veen, Peggy Deliege and Alex AM de Groot have still not arrived. The senders always want to know what happened to the letters and packages they sent.

Does Valentine's Day mean love or a business opportunity? By Gedsiri Suhartono JAKARTA (JP): Myths mixed with commercialization swirl around Valentine's Day. However, all elements share a common point of departure: namely how to best express feelings of affection to our nearest and dearest. Endorsing a special day prompts us to appreciate our loved ones. Scope for participation is wide open. Have you ever received a "From a secret admirer" card?

Getting ready for Chinese New Year By Myra Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): When I came to visit Auntie Hong just before Christmas, I found her busy preparing for the Chinese New Year. She had bought sacks full of sticky rice and brown sugar. Auntie Hong makes the traditional cakes called kueh keranjang (basket cakes) for a bit of extra income during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

A rose by any other name JAKARTA (JP): About 30 years ago the Chinese-Indonesian community was rocked by a New Order government recommendation that advised the replacement of Chinese names with indigenous ones. The change was not compulsory, however the adoption of new names was promoted as a mechanism for assimilation into the broader community. Indonesian names themselves were not privileged: any name was suitable except ones of Chinese origin.