Does Dharma Wanita help or hurt its members? By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): For the first time in 20 years, Irmayantie, wife of a high-ranking government official, was able to express her own political aspirations in the recent general election. "Boleh dong beda, we have the right to be different," said Irma, courageously parroting the popular slogan of a voter education campaign.

Korpri pledges reform to retain members By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo JAKARTA (JP): "We, members of the Civil Servants Corps (Korpri), as part of the state apparatus, pledge to always put the state's and the people's interest above our individual's or corps'." The excerpt is part of the Satya Prasetya pledge that each member of the four million-strong Korpri has to memorize and recite at the obligatory flag-raising ceremony on the 17th day of the month in the courtyard of their office.

RI lift ban on Japanese scholar TOKYO (DPA): A Japanese scholar who has been barred from entering Indonesia because of pro-democracy activities will visit the country for the first time in 18 years Sunday. Akihisa Matsuno, 42, associate professor of Indonesian language at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies, will speak about the importance of global civic solidarity at an academic meeting in Jakarta.

Houses give dignity to the homeless By Gin Kurniawan LAMONGAN, East Java (JP): They were treated like garbage. Pulled from city streets in lightning raids, they were dumped in the jungle -- and thrown in jail when they returned. Today, in happier circumstances, many of the homeless of the area are residents of the Trisno Mulyo housing project in Sidoharjo village of Lamongan Kota district, Lamongan regency, East Java. Bitterness characterized their lives when they were homeless.

The woman is called Aceh Oh God, since You have planted a womb inside me I am a woman Aceh, is my name And in the womb You also have channeled a spirit More than this I am also the people's paddy field Oh men and women, I'm your mother who cried at seeing your bodies pierced by bullets. who keeps crying although her tears are not meant to water the dry soil. In severe pain, your breath has become part of the sun and moon.

Kalambret Village By S. Yoga Sekar Tanjung turned up at one end of the village. His eyes and nose were swollen and bruised, apparently the result of being hit by dull objects. With unkempt hair, cracked lips and seriously injured hands, he swayed, heavily dragging both feet. He kept his mouth shut although scores of people were around him, asking him one question after another. He remained completely tight-lipped about his condition.

Megawati's bid suffers setback JAKARTA (JP): Abdurrahman Wahid, Amien Rais, Nur Mahmudi Ismail and Hamzah Haz agreed on Saturday that Islam bars women from becoming heads of state, delivering the heaviest blow yet to Megawati Soekarnoputri's presidential bid.

Ramos-Horta meets Xanana JAKARTA (JP): East Timor independence campaigner Jose Ramos- Horta met jailed proindependence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao after 23 years of self-exile and said he felt speechless. "I was speechless, not only meeting him as a leader, but as a human being, one of the greatest human beings I have known in my life," Ramos-Horta said as quoted by AFP on Saturday.

Fountain Cafe brings entertainment to dining out JAKARTA (JP): At this cafe complex, there are several of, to be more precise, tent cafes, popularly known as warung tenda. The complex is located at a square with a stage for live entertainment at Plaza Senayan, one of the leading shopping malls in the capital. Unlike other mushrooming cafes in the city, these offer more than just food and music. A fountain as the major attraction, gives it the name, the Fountain Cafe.

Rival Koreas resume Beijing talks on family reunions BEIJING (AP): Four days after faltering over a naval skirmish in the Yellow Sea, North Korea and South Korea briefly resumed talks Saturday, trading views on the clash, the detention of a tourist, and reuniting families separated in their bitter 54-year rivalry. Negotiators met for nearly two hours in the basement of a swanky China World Hotel in Beijing before agreeing to meet again Thursday.

What next after the banking crisis? By A. Putu Mandau Wijayanto Tremors from the economic crisis did not only wiped out ailing banks and cause widespread layoffs. Bank customers now wish for a sense of security from those banks which survived the process of closures within the past year. Security tops the list for every customer, but it is an intangible concept. Thus, the problem is one of perception. If the restructurization of the banks proceeds smoothly, some of the problem will be solved.

Maintaining and developing quality-oriented customers Almost two years of economic crisis have not stopped the growth and development of Indonesia's cellular phone operators, particularly GSM. With prepaid SIM cards, GSM operators have been able to tap into the changing behavior of crisis-wary consumers who are limiting their pulse usage. The prepaid SIM card has become popular because of its advantage in being able to monitor and limit pulse usage.

Three die in Halmahera clash JAKARTA (Reuters): Three people died in a clash between two villages in Indonesia's eastern Maluku islands, the official Antara news agency reported on Friday. They were killed on the northern island of Halmahera on Thursday, the agency said. Another 12 were injured. Four houses were also ransacked, two of those set ablaze along with a car. Security forces were sent to the area to stop the fighting, mostly involving knives and other traditional weapons.

Flores culture rich in tradition, talent and depth By Yacob Herin MAUMERE, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): A strong awareness of Portuguese culture pervades Paga village, about 43 kilometers east of Maumere, the capital of Sikka regency in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The old Portuguese language is spoken here, and books in Portuguese, along with religious items and statues made in Portugal, are found in Catholic churches.

Heads and faces haunt Pande's solo exhibition By Chandra Johan JAKARTA (JP): A painting, made up of 30 panels of canvas -- each on of them 30 cm x 30 cm -- depicts various kinds of faces with various kinds of expressions. We could be at a loss for words to explain each facial expression on each of the panels. The faces are recorded on the canvas with a variety of signals. As one panel has one signal, the 30 panels contain 30 signals.

Next step Olympics 2000 gold, says windsurfer Oka By Lukman Natanagara KUTA, Bali (JP): For an athlete, winning an Olympic Games gold medal is the ultimate ambition. This is certainly the case for I Gusti Made Oka Sulaksana, Indonesia's top windsurfer. Oka won the gold medal in the 13th Asian Games in Pattaya, Thailand, late last year. The Asiad has been recognized as the second biggest multi-sports event after the Olympics. Next year in Sydney, the Balinese will try to make his dream come true.

Dharma Wanita of limited use: Members JAKARTA (JP): Since 1974, millions of Indonesian women have grudgingly joined Dharma Wanita simply because their husbands were government officials. Government institutions including ministries, state-owned companies, state banks, state universities and even foreign oil companies which signed production-sharing agreements with state- owned oil company Pertamina must have Dharma Wanita units to accommodate the wives of their employees.

Mailman, bring me no more blues JAKARTA (JP): Most people are delighted to receive mail from home. Even if it takes some time to get here! I am no exception, but when Pos Indonesia sent me one of those little chits asking me to go to them to pick up mail I wondered aloud. Would this be recent mail or not? You see, I have little faith in the company's workings for it once took them 14 months to deliver a package to me.

Spotlight Photo F: Melia Gran Melia GRASS BUSTERS: Employees of Gran Melia hotel clean an area near the hotel compound on Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta. They held a Cleanliness Campaign in observance of Jakarta's 472th anniversary on June 22. About 40 employees took part in the drive. Photo G: Manulife JP/alx NEW MAN ON THE BLOCK: Vice president director of PT AJ Manulife Indonesia Adi Purnomo (right) chats with Philip Hampden-Smith, the company's new president director.

A secret shared: Masturbation in marriage By Sri Utami PURWODADI, Central Java (JP): A wife was shocked when one night she walked in to find her husband masturbating while watching the television. "Is he not satisfied having sex with me?" she asked her doctor. "Is it normal? Won't it affect his health?" In theory and in practice, masturbation, or self-stimulation of one's genitals, is a sexual activity that gives pleasure to the practitioner.

The largest convention center in Central Java Sheraton Mustika Resort and Spa Yogyakarta boasts a grand convention center which can accommodate up to 3,000 guests. This is the most flexible and largest Convention Center in Yogyakarta and Central Java, with state-of-the-art sound equipment, and can comfortably accommodate 1,800 guests theater style, or 1,000 guests for a banquet.

Singer Ruth Sahanaya relaxes in new easy-listening album By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): Singer Ruth Sahanaya is back. Well, she never actually leaves the pop world. If she disappears occasionally from local stages, it is usually because she is taking part in a song festival abroad, or throwing gigs entertaining Indonesian communities overseas.