Cultural activists revive Javanese ancient spirit By M. Achadi YOGYAKARTA (JP): On top of Bukit Seribu, about three kilometers south of the famed Prambanan Temple, lies a unique historical site -- the Boko Palace complex. Relics within the complex include temples, gates, forts and heaps of rocks. Situated next to Sambirejo village, the complex, which is also called Ratu Boko palace, was a landmark in Javanese civilization which was built several centuries ago.

Two injured in brawl among supporters SEMARANG: At least two people were injured and two shops and a motorcycle were damaged in a clash between supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and those of Golkar in Pati regency, Central Java. The PDI Perjuangan youths from Ngemplak Kidul village entered Waturoyo village and pulled down a number of Golkar flags. Local youths protested, and the incident led to a brawl.

PAN, PBB, PK campaigns go smoothly JAKARTA (JP): The campaigning of the three major parties here on Saturday remained peaceful and orderly, despite street rallies involving thousands of people. The supporters of the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Justice Party (PK) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB), in countless buses, cars, motorcycles and vans, toured the capital to and from their respective campaign sites.

Safe Golkar, PBB rallies held BOGOR, West Java: Thousands of Golkar supporters held their rally safely on Saturday, despite previous threats on party leaders against continuing with the campaign. Campaigning was held in two different sites, Mekarwangi village and Sindangsari field in Tanah Baru village. Soon after the gathering broke up, the supporters convoyed and met at the Jl. Baru intersection. The combined groups then moved on foot and in various vehicles along Jl. Pajajaran, Jl.

Chinese-Indonesians stream into Padang with fears of unrest PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): Hundreds of Chinese-Indonesians, worried about being targeted in another bout of racial riots in Jakarta and Medan, have been arriving in this province. Their numbers have been on the rise over the past week. Hotels in Padang and the cool holiday resort of Bukittinggi have reported a dramatic surge in occupancy rates. Idham Radjo, owner of Maninjau Indah Hotel, said rooms started filling up a week ago.

Teater Sae's 'Hamlet' depicts country's tragic downfall By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): After a five-year absence from the local theater stage, Teater Sae decided to present its newest production, a tragedy of politics, out of concern for the country's chaotic social, economical and political conditions.

PAN to expand alliance with Islamic parties JAKARTA (JP): The National Mandate Party (PAN) is seeking to expand its alliance with other Islamic parties in order to win more votes and block conservative groups, deputy chairman A.M. Fatwa said here on Saturday. Fatwa made clear the intention of PAN -- which is not an Islamic party -- to ally itself with as many Islamic parties as possible in an address to a campaign gathering in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Youth fashion trends in Jakarta By Agni Amorita JAKARTA (JP): Maharani Djody, 19, a sixth semester student at the University of Indonesia's School of Law, is not only preoccupied with books. The presenter of the youth program Ekspresi on Indosiar television station, known as Rani among friends and acquaintances, meets at a rendezvous with friends of her age on weekends. They can be seen window-shopping (and maybe boy-watching) in prominent malls and plazas in Jakarta.

Estimated Monthly Government Loss Due to Illegal Imports Product Illegal/Avoid Average Duties Government In RP Tax Price Tax loss in US$ (Million) Est. Q'TY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Video CD 25,000 US$60 50% 750,000 6,000.0 CTV 14-21" 15,000 US$125 50% 937,500 7,500.0 CTV A/C Split 2,000 US$250 45% 225,000 1,800.0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 43,500 2,10O,000 16,800.0

No Indonesia shuttlers in semifinals By Primastuti Handayani COPENHAGEN (JP): None of Indonesia's shuttlers reached the semifinals of the World Championships at Brondby Hall on Friday. This is the worst and the most humiliating results since the biennial championships was first staged in 1977 in Malmo, Sweden.

PPP takes advantage of Time report MEDAN, North Sumatra: Politicians took advantage of a Time magazine report alleging that the Soehartos own a fortune of US$15 billion, promising a serious investigation into the issue should their parties win. United Development Party (PPP) campaigner Bachtiar Chamsyah said here on Thursday that his party would pursue the matter seriously. "We will drag the corruptors of the New Order regime to court if our party wins the elections," he said.

Combating smuggled imported products JAKARTA (JP): The main gateways through which electronic products illegal enter Indonesia are Jakarta, Medan, Batam and Surabaya. However, illegal products can be found almost everywhere in Indonesia. It is ironic that, despite a market shrinkage due to the economical crisis, illegally imported products, known as Non-G products, have thoroughly dominated the local electronics market since September 1998 after the rupiah became slightly stable again.

ASEAN waters to become playground SINGAPORE (DPA): An ambitious plan to turn the waters around the ASEAN countries into a regional marine playground will be boosted by a three-month expedition to Indonesia, an organizer said Thursday. Expedition leader Francis Lee said the marine conservation trip starting in September will be filmed by the National Geographic Channel and document Indonesia's rich marine life.

A reflection of May 1998 Ghosts of the past wander restlessly in a land that is still wet with tears and blood Searching for dark souls who are responsible for their anguish They watch monsters hiding behind angelic faces with their cunning smiles They sigh with desperation and hopelessness They try to make peace with their hearts But their hearts scream with agony, haunted by memories of the past Time seems to walk slowly It does not heal the scars that are left behind They wander in a land...

Kagama serves cheap lunch for the needy and students By Sri Wahyuni YOGYAKARTA (JP): Would you expect to have lunch for only Rp 500 (about 6 US cents) especially at a time of crisis like this? Come to Yogyakarta and you'll get it. You'll have a portion of rice and vegetable soup, plus either a slice of meat, tempeh, egg or fish, and a glass of water.

Legal experts divided on 'Soeharto Inc.' lawsuit JAKARTA (JP): Legal experts are divided on whether former president Soeharto should sue Time magazine in the Unites States or in Indonesia over its Soeharto Inc. cover story. Loebby Loqman, a University of Indonesia law professor familiar with the Indonesian press law, believes that Soeharto should file the lawsuit with a U.S. court.

MKGR Party courts drag queens PALU, Central Sulawesi: The MKGR Party's promises to raise the dignity of marginalized people has won the hearts and minds of local drag queens. The party led by Mien Sugandhi, former minister of women's affairs renown for her thick Javanese accent, told transvestites attending its Friday campaigning it would stand by their cause for equal political rights.

Aceh, W. Kalimantan remain tense ahead of elections BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Tension is smoldering over Aceh and West Kalimantan with election day only two weeks away. In Aceh on Saturday, over 1,000 villagers spent their seventh day holed up at the Darul Istiqamah mosque in Pidie. They refused to go home for fear of retaliation by soldiers who accused them of being involved in abducting a military intelligence officer.

Hockey association has new chief JAKARTA (JP): Primadi Tabrani was elected chairman of the Indonesian Hockey Association (PHSI) for the 1999-2003 term replacing Rajkumar Singh, Antara reported on Friday.

PK campaigns with free medical service MEDAN, North Sumatra: The local chapter of the Justice Party (PK) has substituted street rallies with holding free medical services in a number of sites across the city, attracting hundreds of poor people. Chapter chairman Iskan Qolba Lubis said PK's programs included bazaars of cheap staple food and consultation services on various problems. "The free medical services, however, attract the most visitors," he said on Saturday.

Flower arrangements take unique twist JAKARTA (JP): Arranging flowers turns out to be not as simple as it seems. It's more than preparing flowers, putting them in a vase and arranging them a bit here and a bit there. According to flower designer Hervia S. Budi, it takes more effort to create a beautiful flower arrangement. The effort requires hunting for the desired flowers, ornaments, containers and then sketching the design before finally applying it to the real work.

Caption Correction: Captions of the two pictures exhibited respectively at the French Cultural Center and at the Erasmus Huis in Jakarta were accidentally reversed. We regret the error. -- Editor

Major CBU Electronic Import Duties/Tax --------------------------------------------------------------- Product Custom Duty Luxury Tax VAT --------------------------------------------------------------- Television - CBU 20% 14-20" = 10% 10% --------------------------------------------------------------- VCR/LD/VCD/DVD -CBU 20% 20% 10% --------------------------------------------------------------- Refrigerator 15% < 200 L = 10% 10% ---------------------------------------------------------------...

Painting hobby helps teacher survive crisis By Agus Maryono PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): Like most teachers at state schools, Sutjipto finds it hard to make ends meet on his monthly salary. But "necessity is the mother of invention", as the saying goes. So, he looked for other ways to survive. Which is how he found painting. Sutjipto, who teaches art at a junior high school, has been painting for years as a hobby.

An insult to politicians It is difficult to tell from the strident and abrasive tone of Hilde May's letter of May 19 whether the writer is for or against Megawati. Perhaps in Germany, Hilde finds it necessary to verbally abuse and insult politicians in order to get the necessary results, but in Indonesia, strong-arm measures are not only considered uncivilized, they are also totally ineffective.

Local electronics market undercut by illegal imports By Stefanus Indrayana JAKARTA (JP): Fauzie complained about the price of a Videocassette Disk (VCD) Player he bought at an established electronics store. For a well-known brand of Toshiba VCD player, series 910K, he paid Rp 1,375,000. When, by chance, he visited Jakarta's Glodok and Mangga Dua shopping centers, he was surprised to find the very same VCD player priced at Rp 950.000.

More Golkar flag burning reported PURWOKERTO, Central Java: Hundreds of Golkar's yellow flags have gone missing since Friday, including dozens which were pulled down in passing by PDI Perjuangan supporters cruising local streets on motorcycles and other vehicles on Saturday. Sudiro, of the local Golkar office, deplored the vandalism. "This is a lesson for us, though. But we are not going to take revenge, let them have their fill. It's the people who will decide," he said.

UN 'not consulted' over change to East Timor vote JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations (UN) was "not consulted" on the change of date for a referendum on the future of East Timor already announced by the Indonesian government, a UN spokesman said on Friday (Saturday, Jakarta time) from UN headquarters in New York. "We were not consulted," spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva told a news briefing on Jakarta's announcement that the ballot would be brought forward by one day, from Aug. 8 to Aug. 7.

Some ballots spoiled, some found in Deli river JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of the more than 550,000 ballots received by the Blora regency elections committee in East Java were faulty, while six bags of ballots were found at the bottom of the Deli River in Labuhan Batu, North Sumatra. Blora regency elections official Slamet Wiryanto was quoted by Antara as saying that up to 30 ballots from each pack of 500 ballots were flawed and could not be used for voting.

Express train kills three JAKARTA (JP): A 35-year-old woman, her son and her niece were fatally hit by an express train at the railway tracks near Lenteng Agung railway station in South Jakarta on Friday evening.

Stocking up in panic-buy mood, ah, what an experience JAKARTA (JP): That awful sinking feeling came over me when I read recently that people are stocking up on food in case the distribution network seizes up during the election period. Panic-buying is no joke. Remember that day last year when the rupiah crashed through the 10,000 to the dollar mark? Within minutes, Jakarta was sold out of rice, and the population turned to devouring other commodities.

Anisah sells cosmetics well in KL SURABAYA (Antara): Anisah Umar, an Indonesian from Cirebon, West Java, has successfully developed a cosmetics and skin care business in Malaysia. Though in her 40s, she looks younger than her age and she swears this is because she takes good care of her skin with her products. Armed with her skill in cosmetics and some money, Anisah said she left for Malaysia in 1986 following a dispute with her husband. "Since I was a teenager, I liked to take care of my face.

Murray to sing for Murba Party PADANG, West Sumatra: The local chapter of the Murba Party, an underdog in next month's poll, is to hold a murray bird singing contest to win public sympathy. Sjofia Dasril, secretary to the party chapter, said on Saturday the contest, to be held from May 28 to June 4, would be opened to every citizen wanting to know more about the Murba Party. "It is expected that when people hear a murray sing, they will remember the Murba Party," she told Antara.

'Wong cilik' is all wrong I would like to draw your attention to an error in the article titled Celebrities all doing their bit for democracy, which appeared on page 3 of your May 20, 1999, edition. Overall, the quotations attributed to me in that article are accurate and well translated.