Archive: 10 March 1999
49 articles found
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Testing the junta's commitment
Testing the junta's commitment The visit to Thailand of a 40-strong Myanmar delegation led by Senior General Than Shwe is another step in the junta's campaign to gain world-wide credibility. If the visitors heard some tough talk from their Thai hosts, they were also accorded a meeting with King Bhumibol in the capital. This seems in keeping with the stick-and-carrot approach to the constructive engagement policy which the Thais have adopted toward their neighbor.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Thailand, Myanmar to fight drugs
Thailand, Myanmar to fight drugs BANGKOK (AFP): Myanmar and Thailand announced on Tuesday a joint crackdown on drugs to meet a deadline to eliminate drug trafficking and drug use in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The agreement was made during meetings in northern Thailand between Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekapi and his Myanmar counterpart Senior General Than Shwe, who departed here on Tuesday.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
New structures in Spratlys: RP
New structures in Spratlys: RP MANILA (AFP): New structures are being erected on an uninhabited reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said on Tuesday. But he said he did not know which country was building them. "We have not yet confirmed if it is the Chinese or the Vietnamese who are building the structures," he told reporters.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
RP asks RI to defer Davis Cup to July
RP asks RI to defer Davis Cup to July JAKARTA (JP): The Philippines has asked Indonesia to reschedule the Davis Cup Group II Asia Oceania zone semifinal to July for security reasons. The Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) deputy secretary general, Benny Mailili, told reporters Tuesday that Pelti has responded to the request, pledging that Indonesia would fully guarantee the Filipinos' safety from the time of their arrival until their departure.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
BI denies plan to pull Rp 50,000 note
BI denies plan to pull Rp 50,000 note JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia denied on Tuesday rumors that the government is planning to replace the Rp 50,000 banknote currently in circulation. BI senior official H.Y. Susmanto, who is in charge of supply and circulation of rupiah banknotes, said he had not received any order to print a new Rp 50,000 banknote. "I have not received any order from the top to design and print a new note," he told The Jakarta Post in an interview.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Malaysia opens US$75m F1 track
Malaysia opens US$75m F1 track KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Formula One champion Mika Hakkinen test- drove Malaysia's new US$75 million track ahead of its official opening ceremony Tuesday. "The layout is one of the best in the world," Hakkinen said in a meeting with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad after the test run. "There are twists and turns and the entire course is very hilly. This will make for a thrilling race in October," Hakkinen said in a statement.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Sponsored by Satelindo
Sponsored by Satelindo There is an error in the Sunday, March 7, 1999 article entitled "Children's TV show combines fun with moral message" written by R. Masri Sareb Putra. It is said in the article that Saras 008 aired by Indosiar was sponsored by PT Indosat. In fact, Saras 008 was sponsored by Satelindo through direct link to International 008. WIBISONO HADIPUTRO Division Head Marketing International and Customer Relations Satelindo Note: We regret the error. -- Editor
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Calls intensify for restraint in Ambon
Calls intensify for restraint in Ambon JAKARTA (JP): Calls mounted on Tuesday for hostile religious groups in Ambon to keep their cool as more lives were lost from the weeks of clashes. "We call on people from both sides to put down their weapons and work together to restore peace and order in Ambon," Ambon Bishop Mandagi told The Jakarta Post by phone from the devastated Maluku capital.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Damaged road
Damaged road This is to bring to the knowledge of North Jakarta administrative authorities that the road Jl. Gading Boulevard Timur of Kelapa Gading area in front of Al-Azhar School and more so in front of Pertamina petrol pump No. 34-0118 is very badly damaged. It is a great ordeal to travel on this stretch of road leading up to Kondominium Menara Gading, especially during the rainy season, with water forming in pools all along this stretch.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Student hurt by warning shots
Student hurt by warning shots MERAUKE, Irian Jaya: Isac Nasori, a student of a state high school here, is believed to be the victim of a police shooting after a traffic violation, Antara reported on Monday. The agency quoted the commander of the local military police, Second Lt. Supardi, as saying that neurosurgeons at the Akademis Jauri Putra Ujungpandang Hospital found pieces of metal in the left part of his brain.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt to simplify plantation licensing
Govt to simplify plantation licensing JAKARTA (JP): The government will simplify the licensing procedure for developing new plantation areas in a bid to encourage more investors, a senior official at the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations said here on Tuesday. The ministry's secretary-general, Oetomo, said that under the new regulation investors wanting to establish a plantation area would need only one license.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ghalib grilled over phone talk
Ghalib grilled over phone talk JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General A.M. Ghalib appeared for three hours on Tuesday before the House of Representatives (DPR), facing sharp criticism from legislators over the scanned phone conversation he allegedly had with President B.J. Habibie.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Indonesia will consult IMF on recapitalization
Indonesia will consult IMF on recapitalization JAKARTA (JP): The government will seek the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) backing before the disputed bank restructuring program begins, Coordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry Ginandjar Kartasasmita said on Tuesday. "We need all the international support we can to get this program to work," he said after attending a limited Cabinet meeting on economy, finance and industry.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
World misinformed about RI
World misinformed about RI By Lance Castles YOGYAKARTA (JP): The international community has expressed concern over religion-related conflicts in Indonesia but they need to know more about what has really happened in the country. The World Council of Churches (WCC), at its last assembly in Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare, for example, listed Indonesia as one of the worst countries in the world for interreligions conflict. The mass media carried reports in their Dec.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Free IDs not official yet
Free IDs not official yet PURWAKARTA, West Java: The administration here has launched an intensive program to urge more than 120,000 residents process their identification cards (ID's), but have yet to decide whether the document will be issued free of charge. "The administration is worried that if we make it free, we could be charged of (money politics) like in other areas," given the polls slated in June, Setiawan Udi told Antara on Monday.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on March 9, 1999: Shares Close Change Trading Volume ------------------------------------------------------ Ades Alfindo 350 0 0 AHAP Insurance 400 0 0 Alter Abadi 275 0 0 Alumindo Light Metal 300 0 0 Alumindo Perkasa 125 0 0 Aneka Kimia Raya 150 0 36,000 Aneka Tambang 1,475 -25 814,000 Anwar Sierad 75 0 50,000 Apac Centertex Corp.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Satria Muda eyes Final Four in 2000
Satria Muda eyes Final Four in 2000 JAKARTA (JP): The newly-launched Mahaka Satria Muda basketball club aimed to compete in this year's NBA-like league Kobatama, a club official said on Tuesday. Doedie Gambiro, the club's chief, said that his club has targeted to qualify for the final four by the year 2000 for its second time after 1996. "We want to compete in the final four next year. This year, we plan to improve our club training," he said during a press conference of the club's launching.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Cheap rice allotted to ID-less poor in Jakarta
Cheap rice allotted to ID-less poor in Jakarta JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will for the first time offer government-subsidized rice to 1,600 families who lack required Jakarta identification cards, an official said on Monday. Djodjo Sutardjo of the city's regional economic bureau said priority for this month's offer would be given to the poor living along riverbanks, railway tracks and under bridges in the nine subdistricts. The schedule is still pending.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
11 Special Force troops face 15 to 26 months in jail
11 Special Force troops face 15 to 26 months in jail JAKARTA (JP): A military prosecutor demanded on Tuesday jail sentences of between 15 months and 26 months for 11 members of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) accused of abducting nine political activists. Chief military prosecutor Col. Harom Wijaya demanded that the Jakarta military court sentence Maj. Bambang Kristiono, Capt. F.S. Multhazar, Capt. Yulius Selvanus and Capt. Untung Budi Harto to 26 months imprisonment.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Gamblers busted with FN gun
Gamblers busted with FN gun TANGERANG (JP): Vice squad detectives here apprehended four gambling den operators in Sukabakti village, Curug in an evening raid on Monday. From the suspects police confiscated an FN .32 pistol together with four bullets, a Wrangler jeep, Rp 1.6 million in cash and 65 bundles of lottery coupons. Head of the Tangerang Police vice squad, First Sgt. Kustanto, told reporters on Tuesday that the four -- Udin Jaka Zaenal, A.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Thousands of teachers opt out of East Timor
Thousands of teachers opt out of East Timor JAKARTA (JP): About 2,300 teachers in East Timor have demanded the government move quickly to transfer them and their 15,000 family members from the troubled province. Representative of the teachers presented their demands on Tuesday to Director General of Elementary and Secondary Education, Indra Djati Sidi, who was visiting the East Timor capital of Dili to assess their situation.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Conversion Rates
Conversion Rates Bank Bali's conversion rates on March 9, 1999: TT rates Bank notes rates Buying Selling Buying Selling Rp Rp Rp Rp U.S.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
A look ahead to next elections
A look ahead to next elections There has been a rebirth of interest in political life. Based on SK Mendagri/Ketua LPU No.3 Th. 1999, there will be 48 parties contesting the next general election. Many observers have said hopefully that the next multiparty general election will be the first time a party machinery has not predetermined the outcome. Is this a real turning point in our national political history, moving toward mature democracy by overcoming regional prejudices?
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
S'pore to beef up security for Y2K
S'pore to beef up security for Y2K SINGAPORE (AP): Singapore will boost its police force this year to face a possible increase in the number of illegal immigrants and a possible rise in crime caused by the Y2K computer bug, government-controlled television reported on Tuesday. Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said the crime outlook for 1999 was "not bright", and that a continuing onslaught of illegal immigrants could occur.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
RI undergoing healing process, says Anderson
RI undergoing healing process, says Anderson YOGYAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is in a healing process after decaying for years under the untrammeled power of former president Soeharto, leading Indonesianist Benedict Anderson of Cornell University said on Monday.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Beggars become source of ire
Beggars become source of ire PADANG, West Sumatra: Residents in the West Sumatra capital are complaining of beggars and homeless exhibiting criminal tendencies. Residents, particularly women, said they were forced to give money. The social welfare office here recently acknowledged the increase in beggars since the crisis, apart from the homeless and informal traffic directors similar to those in Jakarta. The secretary of the Minangkabau traditional customs institution, Kamardi Rais D.P.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Australia, RI military hold forum
Australia, RI military hold forum JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto and his Australian counterpart Admiral Chris Barric are heading their countries' delegations at a three-day bilateral forum, opened here on Tuesday, to discuss cooperation in defense and security. The forum, which is closed to the public, will feature on the Indonesian side political researcher and presidential spokeswoman Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Chief of ABRI Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Motorola sells new cellular
Motorola sells new cellular JAKARTA (JP): United States telecommunications equipment giant Motorola launched here on Tuesday the latest series in its line of mobile phone products. The company said that the new cellular phone, weighing about 83 grams, was the smallest Global System for Mobile Communications mobile phone.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
On Indonesia-Singapore relationship
On Indonesia-Singapore relationship It is a fact that Singapore, a dot on the map of Southeast Asia, is bordered by the fourth-largest country in the world. But to characterize that dot as red, which Indonesian President B.J. Habibie did a while ago, or to label it a Chinese enclave, as his senior adviser Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar has done, amounts to political and racial commentaries that go beyond stating the geographically obvious. ... They are unfortunate, unfair and indeed provocative.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Political parties told to help make city safe
Political parties told to help make city safe JAKARTA (JP): City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman has urged political parties eligible to take part in the June 7 general election to help maintain security in the capital, especially during the campaign period. Speaking in front of representatives of the Jakarta chapters of 47 political parties on Tuesday, Noegroho reiterated that the capital's security was not the sole responsibility of the police or the Armed Forces (ABRI).
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ethnic, racial and religious issues through children's eyes
Ethnic, racial and religious issues through children's eyes JAKARTA (JP): Seven-year-old Kartika knew that the Chinese are not the same as other ethnic groups in the country. She learned the difference when her mother took her along to wedding parties -- the Chinese bride usually wears a Western gown, while the Javanese is clad in traditional outfit. Later on, she learned more about the differences when her friends called her Cina (Chinese).
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Senayan sports complex to build new facilities
Senayan sports complex to build new facilities JAKARTA (JP): The Gelora Senayan Management Board (BPGS) will both renovate and build venues at the Senayan sports complex to meet international standards as part of the country's effort to win the bid to host the 2006 Asian Games.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Gates sees HK, Singapore, Malaysia as software hubs
Gates sees HK, Singapore, Malaysia as software hubs HONG KONG (Reuters): Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates said on Tuesday there was room for Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia all to become Asian software centers, despite their competition to attract high-technology businesses. "I am fairly optimistic...there is enough demand here that Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong could all be successful in (becoming) great software centers," Gates told a news conference in Hong Kong.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
National rights body derided as 'a club'
National rights body derided as 'a club' JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights was handed a fresh no-confidence motion over its legitimacy on Tuesday. The long-standing issue resurfaced during the launching of a book on human rights titled National Commission on Human Rights in Five Years of Services, compiled by local journalists grouped in the Forum of Common Sense.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Debate rages on over central bank bill
Debate rages on over central bank bill JAKARTA (JP): The government and the House of Representatives failed to reach an agreement on whether to retain Bank Indonesia's (BI) banking supervisory function in the new central bank bill currently being debated. House Commission VIII for state budget and finance decided on Tuesday in a debate session with the minister of finance, to take into account the central bank's opinion in a closed-door session.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Estrada files libel suit against daily
Estrada files libel suit against daily MANILA (AP): An angry President Joseph Estrada filed a libel suit on Tuesday against a Manila newspaper which suggested he had unwittingly allowed an improper power plant repair deal. Estrada is seeking 101 million pesos (US$2.6 million) in damages from The Manila Times. He said the money would be donated to an orphanage and a scholarship program for impoverished Muslim youth.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
East Timor dilemma
East Timor dilemma When East Timor was "annexed" by Indonesian "volunteers" in 1975 hand in hand with the Fretilin-defeated UDT, I believe most Indonesians at that time agreed to such a move. We have to remember the situation when the Cold War was still going on, and nobody would ever have wanted East Timor to become "Cuba" for Indonesia, neither would the USA nor Australia.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
UN has yet to decide on troops in E. Timor
UN has yet to decide on troops in E. Timor JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations will not consider a peacekeeping mission to East Timor in the near future, as it is still focusing its attention on Indonesia's autonomy package offer, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said on Tuesday. Eckhard pointed out the UN was still waiting for the results of the tripartite talks between Indonesia and Portugal under the auspices of the UN. "It is too early to talk about sending a peacekeeping mission to East Timor.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
SE Asian currencies fall on yuan devaluation fears
SE Asian currencies fall on yuan devaluation fears SINGAPORE (Dow Jones): Southeast Asian currencies ended a whipsaw trading session on Tuesday mixed against the U.S. dollar. After trailing the yen higher throughout the Asian morning, regional currencies saw an abrupt sell-off in afternoon dealing on resurgent fears of a Chinese yuan devaluation. Market participants scampered to buy U.S.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Students condemn brutality
Students condemn brutality JAKARTA (JP): Students lodged a complaint concerning the excessive use of force by security personnel at a demonstration on Jl. Proklamasi in Central Jakarta on Thursday. Carrying a banner which read "Stop Military Violence", the 50 students grouped under the Collective Forum (Forbes), visited the National Commission on Human Rights on Monday to request a thorough investigation of the incident.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Ministry sets new academic calendar
Ministry sets new academic calendar JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Education and Culture has established a new academic calendar and also has declared that students in Maluku's ravaged capital of Ambon will not have to sit for exams, Minister Juwono Sudarsono said on Tuesday. "The changes (in the calendar) are final... we have also made special arrangements for Ambon, freeing all students from exams. It's impossible to have exams there," he said.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt OKs $232m in new FDI projects
Govt OKs $232m in new FDI projects JAKARTA (JP): The government approved 87 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth US$232 million in the first two months of the year, an official at the Investment Coordinating Board said on Tuesday. Asril Noer, an assistant to State Minister of Investment Hamzah Haz, said on the sidelines of a seminar here that the foreign investment commitment showed that the country was still attractive for investment despite the crisis.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Sampoerna suffers Rp 180b in net loss 1998: Director
Sampoerna suffers Rp 180b in net loss 1998: Director JAKARTA (JP): Publicly listed cigarette manufacturer PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna suffered a Rp 180 billion (about US$21 million) net loss in 1998, compared to a net profit of Rp 20.3 billion in 1997, the company's director, Ekadharmadjanto Kasih, said on Tuesday.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Elections and mass amuck
Elections and mass amuck The people are looking forward to an honest and just general election this year. If it fails to live up to these expectations, it may trigger their anger and cause a mass amuck, whether or not there are instigators. Dishonesty or fraudulence such as tampering with votes may also prompt the anger of the people.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Habibie receives more support for another term
Habibie receives more support for another term JAKARTA (JP): The ruling Golkar party is set to nominate incumbent President B.J. Habibie for a second term despite criticisms targeted at both Habibie and Golkar. At the ongoing national party congress, the Golkar provincial chapters nominated Habibie as their preferred candidate ahead of five other nominees. A final candidate will be decided at a forthcoming Golkar leadership meeting.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Obscene callers told their victims to do fatal acts
Obscene callers told their victims to do fatal acts JAKARTA (JP): Three of the 60 junior high school students who were victims of obscene and threatening phone calls early last month said on Tuesday that the callers also ordered them to perform fatal acts. Speaking to The Jakarta Post, the students said that the callers, whose identities remain a mystery, ordered the teenage victims to electrocute themselves and drink insecticide. However, none of the students followed the lethal orders.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Press freedom in peril
Press freedom in peril Charges of abuse of freedom which have been hurled at the media from several quarters in recent months only go to show how precarious press freedom still is in this country even in the reform era, and how unused we are to the workings of a democratic society. One of the first and most scathing public attacks came in January from none other than President B.J. Habibie.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Student groups defy court verdict over rallies
Student groups defy court verdict over rallies JAKARTA (JP): Two student groups charged with holding illegal street rallies in the capital on Monday rejected their trials at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. The first group, 99 members of the Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred) appeared in court in the afternoon but later walked out before the judges banged their gavels to open their trial.
Wed, 10 Mar 1999, 00:00 WIB
Rp 17b allocated for general election
Rp 17b allocated for general election JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is to set aside Rp 17 billion from its 1999/2000 budget to help finance the June 7 elections in the capital, according to documents released on Tuesday.