Archive: 19 April 1999
36 articles found
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Islamic sect revival reported
Islamic sect revival reported KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian authorities believe a former leader of an outlawed Islamic sect is trying to revive it with foreign help, reports said on Sunday. Former Al-Arqam leader Ashaari Muhammad was suspected to be behind the efforts launched three months ago, a minister in the prime minister's department, Abdul Hamid Othman, was quoted as saying in The Sun.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Parties push ahead with premature campaigning
Parties push ahead with premature campaigning JAKARTA (JP): Although the official election campaign period is still a month away, political parties across the country have moved their electioneering activities into high gear. In some cities, motorcades of party supporters in colorful uniforms and bandanas snaked through small streets and major thoroughfares.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
RI's pre-Olympics soccer team tie 1-1 with Cambodia
RI's pre-Olympics soccer team tie 1-1 with Cambodia JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's pre-Olympics soccer team achieved a 1-1 draw against Cambodia in the first of a two-game friendly match at the Lebak Bulus stadium on Sunday. Coach Bernhard Schumm said he was satisfied with his under-23 players performance during the match. "The 1-1 tie result is not important to us. It is more important to know that we can control the game.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Pickpockets beat conductor to death
Pickpockets beat conductor to death JAKARTA (JP): A Metromini bus conductor was beaten to death by a group, thought to be pickpockets, after he refused to allow them to board the public vehicle near the Tebet train station in South Jakarta on Sunday. The incident took place after the victim, identified as Suyadi, was involved in a dispute with the group of about 10 people behind the minibus, which plied the Kampung Melayu- Manggarai route.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Hi-tech ballot counting to be introduced
Hi-tech ballot counting to be introduced JAKARTA (JP): The University of Indonesia will exhibit on Monday afternoon a computerized ballot counting system designed to prevent cheating in the upcoming general election. A Sunday press release from the university stated the system -- called SI CACAH, an Indonesian acronym for "simple, informative, credible, safe, speedy, accurate and economical" -- would speed up the bureaucratic process.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt set for Soeharto's legal fight
Govt set for Soeharto's legal fight BOYOLALI, Central Java (JP): Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said on Sunday the government was ready to face any legal attempts to drag President B.J. Habibie into the corruption case being built against former president Soeharto. On the sidelines of a Golkar Party function here, Akbar, who is also the party chairman, said the government expected Soeharto to provide evidence if he went ahead with his legal efforts to drag Habibie into the case.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Month-long pig culling ends
Month-long pig culling ends KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A mass pig culling operation in a Malaysian state, to curb an encephalitis outbreak that has killed 98 people, ended on Sunday with 640,500 pigs killed. The operation began on March 20 in southwest Negeri Sembilan state where 83 of the victims had died since early this year, the official Bernama news agency said.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Supreme Court to annuls Hutama Karya verdict
Supreme Court to annuls Hutama Karya verdict JAKARTA (JP): The Supreme Court is set to save state-owned construction firm PT Hutama Karya from liquidation by annulling on Friday its earlier verdict that declared the company bankrupt. Hutama Karya corporate secretary Widodo Alibas said here on Sunday he had known the Supreme Court's decision but could not disclose its details because the verdict would not be released by the Court until Monday.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Irian Jaya town isolated
Irian Jaya town isolated NABIRE, Irian Jaya: This provincial town has virtually become a no-flight zone for the past two weeks due to a telecommunications breakdown that makes it impossible for any aircraft to land. Telephone communication has also ceased, Antara reported on Saturday. The news agency said lightning hit the transmission system of the state telecommunications company here two weeks ago.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
KPC required to divest 30% stake to local partners
KPC required to divest 30% stake to local partners JAKARTA (JP): The country's largest coal mining company PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) is required to divest more shares to local partners this year for failing to fulfill its initial divestment program. KPC's finance general manager of the Indonesian unit of Anglo- Australian mining company, Phillip D Strachan, said on Thursday the shares, which must be sold to local partners, had increased to 30 percent from 23 percent. "Under the coal agreement .
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Couple arrested for producing Ecstasy pills
Couple arrested for producing Ecstasy pills JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested a husband and wife on Friday for allegedly producing Ecstasy pills at their residence in a police housing complex in Jelambar subdistrict, West Jakarta. Police confiscated thousands of Ecstasy pills and three machines used in the manufacture of the drug from the couple's home. Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Farm produce exports improve by 11.65%
Farm produce exports improve by 11.65% JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's foreign exchange earnings from the export of agricultural products rose 11.65 percent to US$3.65 billion last year from $3.27 billion in 1997 due to higher prices on the international market, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said on Saturday. BPS said the country's coffee exports in 1998 rose by 14.98 percent to $578.94 million from $503.68 million in 1997.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Sutoyoso tells Jakartans to be more vigilant
Sutoyoso tells Jakartans to be more vigilant JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso urged city residents on Friday to improve vigilance "at all times" in light of the recent bomb blast at Hayam Wuruk Plaza shopping center in West Jakarta. Sutiyoso said Thursday's blast, following an earlier bomb blast which occurred on Jan. 3, proved that called in bomb- threats were not just hoaxes.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Clashes continue in East Timor
Clashes continue in East Timor JAKARTA (JP): One person died and several were injured on Sunday in a clash between groups for and against East Timorese independence in Hera, east of the capital of Dili, in a continuation of violence that killed at least 20 on Saturday. Harsh international reaction followed Saturday's killings, including remarks from Australian Prime Minister John Howard to the effect that the Indonesian government was responsible for the increasing violence.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Search for helicopter debris continues
Search for helicopter debris continues JAKARTA (JP): Search for helicopter debris continued off the Java Sea on Sunday, following the discovery of the last three of four fatalities of the aircraft chartered by Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) Indonesia which crashed on Wednesday. An officer from Tanjung Priok's marine police told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that a team of four skilled divers was deployed to help ARCO's search and rescue (SAR) team.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Repex receives ISO award
Repex receives ISO award JAKARTA (JP): PT Repex Perdana International (Repex), the Indonesian affiliate of the U.S.-based air express company Federal Express (FedEx), has received an International Standards Organization (IS0) 9002 certification from the Switzerland-based international certification body SGS. Company president Harsha Joesoef said Repex was awarded the certification for its quality management system.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
World rubber body's future hangs in balance
World rubber body's future hangs in balance KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): The world rubber agreement, apparently doomed by the withdrawal of two large producers upset over low prices, faces its moment of truth this week as the last commodity pact with economic clout. Members of the International Natural Rubber Organization's (INRO) governing council will consider the fate of the 19-year- old pact, threatened by the exit of Thailand and Malaysia, in talks on Thursday and Friday in Malaysia's capital.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Togean islands biota in danger
Togean islands biota in danger PALU, Central Sulawesi: Locals from the Togean Islands have renewed their calls on the government to stop environmental destruction caused by the use of fishing explosives. A local, Mahmud, told Antara that unless the government declared the islands a national park, the marine biota population would be vulnerable to extinction.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Lake Toba's water level
Lake Toba's water level The cause of Lake Toba's water level dropping continues to be an argument without end. One of my hobbies is visiting Parapat, Samosir and other places around the lake. I like to observe the surface of the lake from time to time. In my view, some aspects should be considered before we try to find a scapegoat or someone responsible for a lack of control of the Lake Toba water level. 1. Water flows out of Lake Toba through only one river, the Asahan River.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
1,700 Muslim refugees return to Maluku
1,700 Muslim refugees return to Maluku UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): After several months of sheltering in various towns here, around 1,700 Muslim refugees are returning to Maluku, from which they fled following clashes with Christians that killed an estimated 300 people since the violence broke out in mid-January. The first group of 500 refugees left the Soekarno Hatta seaport here on Thursday evening on board the KM Bukit Siguntang.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Wukirasih retains title on RI circuit
Wukirasih retains title on RI circuit JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Wukirasih Sawondari retained her title in the women's singles at the first event of the 1999 Indonesia Circuit held at the Danamon Kemayoran Tennis Center on Sunday after beating Switzerland's Diane Asensio 6-1, 6-4. Wukirasih failed to win the doubles event with South Korean partner Chae Kyung-yee, after losing to Indonesia's top doubles team Liza Andriyani and Irawati Moerid Iskandar 4-6, 4-6.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
House approves new bill to boost BI's independence
House approves new bill to boost BI's independence JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives approved on Friday the new central bank bill designed to boost Bank Indonesia's (BI) independence and realign its function in the banking industry into that of a regulatory agency. BI Governor Sjahril Sabirin said the approval of the bill would have to be followed by a revision of banking law No.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
IPTN delivers two aircraft to Thailand
IPTN delivers two aircraft to Thailand JAKARTA (JP): State-owned aircraft manufacturer IPTN will hand over on Monday two CN-235-220 aircraft ordered by Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. IPTN assistant commercial director Heru Santosa said the two airplanes, which were ordered by the Thai government in a barter deal worth US$28.6 million with the Indonesian government, departed for the Thai capital of Bangkok on Saturday.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Japanese loan for environment
Japanese loan for environment TANGERANG (JP): Mitsui Corporation of Japan is expected to disburse part of a US$100 million loan it pledged for the improvement of environmental conservation in Indonesia, an official said on Friday. Secretary of Tangerang's Development Planning Agency Roestiwi said part of the loan would be given to the Tangerang mayoralty.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Where to go in Jakarta:
Where to go in Jakarta: Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition: by Jeihan, at the Cikini Galeria, Jl. Cikini Raya 65, Central Jakarta (Phone: 31901082), until April 30. * Documentary Exhibition: Jan Steen (1626 - 1679), at Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Phone: 5252321), Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., until May 1. * Photo Exhibition: Photos De Scenes by Guy Delahaye, at the Gallery, CCF - French Cultural Center, Jl.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
One million hectares of forest to be alloted to cooperatives
One million hectares of forest to be alloted to cooperatives JAKARTA (JP): The government will allocate at least one million hectares of the country's forests to cooperatives in order to give more people an opportunity to manage the country's forest resources, Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution said. Muslimin said on Friday cooperatives would be given logging contracts to manage the forest areas.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Our refugee problem
Our refugee problem With unrest continuing to fester in several areas in this country -- East Timor, West Kalimantan and Maluku in particular come to mind -- the authorities seem to be having difficulty keeping track of the refugees forced to flee the troubled areas, not to mention providing adequate assistance for the victims.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Asian monies may continue to surge, despite warnings
Asian monies may continue to surge, despite warnings SINGAPORE (AFP): Asian currencies are expected maintain their climb up this week despite warnings that regional economies, particularly Japan, have yet to show firm signs of recovery. The Japanese yen, which rose to 117-levels against the greenback, provided the impetus for the overall higher tone of trade of Asian currencies.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
PBB carries on the Masyumi torch
PBB carries on the Masyumi torch The Crescent Star Party (PBB) is one of several political parties campaigning on an Islamic platform. The party's leaders talked to The Jakarta Post recently about their vision, political and economic concepts, and their preparations for the June 7 general election. JAKARTA (JP): Going by its platform alone, people would be forgiven to think that PBB is anything but an Islamic party.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Man slashed to death in quarrel
Man slashed to death in quarrel BOGOR (JP): A man was slashed to death for trying to stop a fight over a land dispute between two of his neighbors in Babakan village, Parung district, here on Thursday night. The victim, identified as Syamsuddin, 43, was slashed in his neck with a machete by Zaenal, 39, Maj. Sgt. Bambang of the Parung Police subprecinct said. Bambang said the victim was visiting his brother-in-law, Oman, when Zaenal visited Oman's house to discuss a land dispute.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Govt to give percentage of oil, gas yield to provinces
Govt to give percentage of oil, gas yield to provinces JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Mines and Energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said on Friday the ministry would draft a formula to distribute a percentage of the government's oil and gas revenue to provinces in the form of oil and gas royalties.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Flood inundates Sampang
Flood inundates Sampang SAMPANG, East Java: Two days of heavy rain caused flooding in this East Java town on Saturday, but most residents had anticipated the deluge. Antara reported that thousands of people had gathered their belongings and stored them in the ceilings before flooding commenced. "I'm not surprised about the flood because it happens every year. Once I see the signals, I pack all my valuable belongings and remove them to a higher place," a woman who lives on Jl. Melati said.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Former official indicted for graft
Former official indicted for graft JAKARTA (JP): A former president of city-owned slaughter house operator PD Dharma Jaya, has been indicted at the Central Jakarta District Court for involvement in a Rp 1.1 billion (US$132,800) corruption scandal. Prosecutor Hermut Achmadi said the defendant, identified as Susanto, conspired with Fahri Azis, president of PT Primantara Citra Media, in the purchase of cows from Australia between July 14, 1997 and Aug. 31, 1997.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Winner of next general election
Winner of next general election The general election is just a few weeks away, and if I am right, this is going to be a very important national event, because after the elections, Indonesians are hoping the nation will be steered in the right direction and achieve the real goals of reform. But to achieve this, our way of thinking must be radically changed. We should leave behind the narrow concept that one political party should win and reign over the nation.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Kopassus repairing its tarnished image
Kopassus repairing its tarnished image JAKARTA (JP): The Army's Special Force (Kopassus) marked on Friday its 47th anniversary with promises to undertake reform in order to repair its tarnished image, but refused to spell out the measures. Maj. Gen.
Mon, 19 Apr 1999, 00:00 WIB
Matahari to enter Yemen
Matahari to enter Yemen JAKARTA (JP): Publicly listed retailer Matahari Group said last week it would expand its business to Yemen. Matahari's chairman Hari Darmawan said the company would cooperate with the local Shoumaela Group to facilitate the move into Yemen.