Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

Archive: 8 June 1999

51 articles found

PDI Perjuangan out to win

PDI Perjuangan out to win MEDAN, North Sumatra: The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) vowed on Friday not to let the chance of winning next week's polls slip from its grasp.Speaking before thousands of party supporters in the packed IKIP Pancing square, PDI Perjuangan...

Shrimp ponds sweep away SE Sulawesi mangrove forests

Shrimp ponds sweep away SE Sulawesi mangrove forestsBy Musadianto Madusila KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi (ANTARA): The mangrove forests along Southeast Sulawesi's coast have been a continuous target of illegal farmers wishing to convert the forests to shrimp ponds.

Where to go in Bandung:

Where to go in Bandung:Exhibitions * Fine Arts Exhibition: by Arahmaiani, at CCF, Jl. Purnawarman 32, Jun. 10 and Jun. 17. * Fine Arts Exhibition: Batu Melangkah Waktu, by Sunaryo, at Selasar Seni Sunaryo, Jl. Bukit Pakar Timur no. 100 (Phone: 022 2507939), until Jun. 30.

Ananda's sensational Formula 3000 debut

Ananda's sensational Formula 3000 debut JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's best racing hope Ananda Mikola finished fifth in a sensational debut in the Formula 3000 initial round at Vallelunga Circuit in Italy on Sunday. He also collected two championship points.

Megawati's vision

Megawati's visionFrom Media IndonesiaThe 1999 general election has offered an interesting program, the debate among presidential hopefuls. It is an entirely new idea here and tends to imitate the American style of liberal democracy. I think the program is good and relevant.

Indonesia to hire foreign investigator

Indonesia to hire foreign investigator JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has agreed to hire a foreign private investigator to trace any money obtained through graft and deposited abroad by Indonesians, including assets allegedly owned by former president Soeharto and his children, Minister of...

Floods ruin poll, 1,000 votes lost

Floods ruin poll, 1,000 votes lost JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Two polling stations in the Hedam subdistrict in Abepura district, Jayapura, failed to function because of flooding."All evidence of voter registration also went under water," a committee official, Yance Lali, told The Jakarta Post.

Reconciling critics of the social safety net

Reconciling critics of the social safety netBy Sri Pamoedjo Rahardjo This is the second of two articles on social safe net. JAKARTA (JP): Reports on fund leakages, missed targets and fictitious targets -- usual practices in the past -- have tarnished and attracted controversy to the social safety...

Jepara calm after fatal clash

Jepara calm after fatal clash JEPARA, Central Java: The tension had eased by Monday in the neighboring villages of Bandungharjo and Tulakan in Keling district of Jepara regency, after a vicious clash between residents of the two villagers on Friday.

Golkar prods civil servants

Golkar prods civil servants SEMARANG: The head of the Central Java election committee Gunanto Suryono charged the Tegal branch of the Golkar Party of urging civil servants to vote for Golkar.Gunanto said Golkar's Tegal branch had issued an instruction to that effect and distributed it to civil...

Ghalib to resign from wrestling body

Ghalib to resign from wrestling body JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Lt. Gen. Andi M. Ghalib said on Monday he would resign as chairman of the Indonesian Wrestling Association (PGSI), following allegations he had abused his position to collect donations from the public, including two tycoons.

Student suspect in housemaid's murder

Student suspect in housemaid's murder BOGOR (JP): Bogor Police have arrested a man who allegedly murdered a housemaid during a robbery at Cimanggu housing complex here on Friday.The man was identified as Rino Siswanto, 21, a student of an academy in Bogor, Antara reported on Sunday.

ASEAN auto sales up

ASEAN auto sales up SINGAPORE (AFP): Combined new vehicle sales in the top four markets of Southeast Asia rose 22 percent from a year ago to 182,349 units in the first four months of 1999, according to a top US auto component supplier.

East Timorese ignore vote boycott call

East Timorese ignore vote boycott call JAKARTA (JP): Morning drizzle and the absence of prominent Catholic leader Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo did not stop people in Dili, East Timor, from going to the polls on Monday.

Ideal president needed

Ideal president needed Leaders of a nation have the responsibility to protect and provide for the people. A good president must be an exemplary citizen who upholds the law for the benefit of all, not bending it for personal gain.

Many Acehnese voters stay away from voting process

Many Acehnese voters stay away from voting process LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh (JP): Calls for an election boycott in the troubled province of Aceh were realized on Monday, as the gas- rich city turned into a ghost town.

Anwar trial starts shakily

Anwar trial starts shakily KUALA LUMPUR (AP): The sodomy trial of ousted deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim got off to a rocky start on Monday when the prosecution changed, for a second time, the year of the alleged sexual offenses.

Coal investment declines

Coal investment declines JAKARTA (JP): The country's coal investors have pledged a total investment of US$199.5 million for this calendar year, a sharp fall from the realized investment of $287.9 million last year, according to a government official.

Presidential contenders keep Habibie on his toe

Presidential contenders keep Habibie on his toeBy Kornelius Purba JAKARTA (JP): What is President B.J. Habibie's chance of winning the presidential election? The result of Monday's general election will help determine that, but some people around him play a significant role in ensuring a smooth...

Athletes perform poorly in registration and voting

Athletes perform poorly in registration and voting JAKARTA (JP): National athletes may triumph on the domestic and international stages, but in the June 7 general election they came out losers.A number of national athletes failed to register to vote because they were concentrating on their training...

Todung's office burglarized, documents missing

Todung's office burglarized, documents missing JAKARTA (JP): Prominent lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis's office in Wisma Bank Dharmala on Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, was burgled before dawn on Monday.Todung, who is defending Time weekly in a libel dispute with the Soehartos and, among others, is an...

Threats don't help, Estrada tells China

Threats don't help, Estrada tells China MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Joseph Estrada pledged on Monday to settle a raging territorial dispute with China diplomatically, saying there was "no use of threatening each other".

Observers say elections free, fair and safe

Observers say elections free, fair and safe JAKARTA (JP): Observers, contestants and officials were impressed by Monday's elections which proceeded without significant hurdles except in troubled Aceh.Much feared chaos and disruptions did not occur except for Aceh where turnout was reported low...

IBRA to get tough on defiant debtors

IBRA to get tough on defiant debtors JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) says it will not hesitate to take litigation measures against uncooperative bank debtors in order to recover massive non-performing loans at local banks.

Prices rise as voters flock polls

Prices rise as voters flock polls BOGOR, West Java: The price of vegetables here were among items affected by the poll as traders gathered at polling stations with other residents. A vendor at the Anyar market who said she usually bought vegetables to sell to neighbors said chili went up from Rp...

Party leaders join voting queues

Party leaders join voting queues JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie reprimanded his bodyguards for trying to scare off journalists who bombarded him with questions after voting, while his predecessor Soeharto thanked those wishing him a happy birthday, which falls on Tuesday.

One missing in Jayapura flood

One missing in Jayapura flood JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: A university student is missing after flood waters inundated parts of this provincial capital and nearby Abepura district from Saturday to Sunday morning.

Toward a better Indonesia

Toward a better Indonesia As Indonesians have executed their voting rights (June 7), the freest and fairest national elections in 34 year, I think that the country should be proud of having prominent reformist leaders like Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party, Megawati Soekarnoputri of the...

Opposition parties take early lead

Opposition parties take early lead JAKARTA (JP): Approximately 100 million Indonesians went on Monday to the milestone polls which proceeded mainly peacefully, with Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) snatching an early lead.

Glitches abound in Surabaya polls

Glitches abound in Surabaya polls SURABAYA: The capital of East Java, like many other cities, became a ghost town when residents went to the polls but problems appeared in many of the 3,656 polling stations there.

Sulawesi gamblers go political

Sulawesi gamblers go political KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: A supporter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and a Golkar Party supporter bet Rp 750,000 (US$94) on the elections on Monday.

A hair-raising polling booth

A hair-raising polling booth SEMARANG: Poll officials in a poor neighborhood here had to go to the local funeral parlor to borrow shrouds, usually used to wrap corpses, to build a pooling booth.Officials said on Monday the Rp 40,000 they received from the government was not enough to buy materials...

Thousands of Indonesians unable to vote

Thousands of Indonesians unable to vote JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of Indonesians who live in Serawak, Malaysia, were upset about wasting their right to vote in Monday's polls because they could not leave school or work, a poll observer said.

Minor electoral laws violation, say observers

Minor electoral laws violation, say observers JAKARTA (JP): Preliminary findings of poll observers on Monday revealed that despite minor violations of the electoral laws, the general election proceeded mostly peaceful.Prominent international observers traveled around the five mayoralties of Jakarta.

Lunch quells violent crowd

Lunch quells violent crowd JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman won over a mob by appealing to their stomachs over the weekend.When hundreds of people began to burn Golkar flags at Senen market in Central Jakarta over the weekend, Noegroho, clad in civilian clothes and...

Alcatel continues to support RI telecommunications

Alcatel continues to support RI telecommunications Convinced that Indonesia will soon be on its journey toward recovery, Alcatel has never changed its commitment to this country.And it should not be surprising at all.

The task ahead

The task ahead By casting their votes on Monday, in what has widely been billed as the country's first democratic general election in more than 40 years, Indonesians have passed a major milestone in their 50-year history as a free nation.

Less materials delay polls

Less materials delay polls MEDAN, North Sumatra: The election was delayed at several polling stations here because of a lack of polling material such as ballot paper, stamps and indelible ink.At Mandala housing estate, hundreds of potential voters were stranded as the committee said they had to...

Empowering ethnic Chinese

Empowering ethnic ChineseBy Ester I. Jusuf This is the first of two articles on challenges facing the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. JAKARTA (JP): An interesting phenomenon to observe prior to the June 7, 1999, general election were the attempts made by various political parties to woo the ethnic...

Cautious investors hold off on tourist projects

Cautious investors hold off on tourist projects JAKARTA (JP): None of this year's government-approved foreign and domestic investment plans in tourism have been realized, a senior official has confirmed.

Garuda postpones low-load flights

Garuda postpones low-load flights TANGERANG (JP): National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia postponed nine flights from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday due to low passenger loads, an executive said.

Mahathir fears election violence, 'Bernama' says

Mahathir fears election violence, 'Bernama' says KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned on Monday of opposition violence in coming elections and accused foreign media of working against him, the official Bernama news agency reported.

Minor parties sign agreement

Minor parties sign agreement MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: In response to a deal on vote sharing struck by Muslim-based parties, four minor parties contesting next week's polls here signed the same agreement recently.Chief of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) provincial chapter, M.

More buildings burned in N. Aceh

More buildings burned in N. Aceh BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The administration offices of Samalanga and Peudada districts in North Aceh regency were set on fire by unidentified people on Sunday night and Monday morning respectively.

Maluku refugees keen to vote, tempers soar as hopes dashed

Maluku refugees keen to vote, tempers soar as hopes dashedBy Jupriadi BUTON, Southeast Sulawesi (JP): Thousands of Maluku refugees at various shelters here put on their best clothes and, with their children in tow, arrived at least an hour early in excitement for Monday's polls.

KL rules out CLOB investment

KL rules out CLOB investment KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad ruled out Monday government intervention to unlock billions of dollars worth of frozen shares held by Singaporean investors in Malaysian firms."CLOB was not started by this government.

Polls shut out late voters

Polls shut out late voters MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Thousands of citizens here lost voting rights as many did not vote by the time polling stations closed at 2 p.m. Committees were apparently unaware that although stations were to close ideally at 2 p.m.

Indonesia's election optimism boosts rupiah, other units rise

Indonesia's election optimism boosts rupiah, other units rise HONG KONG (Dow Jones): Growing optimism over the progress of Indonesia's parliamentary elections, and a robust rally in the yen helped lift Asian currencies against the U.S. dollar Monday.

Police rearrest 11 escaped convicts

Police rearrest 11 escaped convicts JAKARTA: Eleven of the 49 prisoners who escaped from Mataram Penitentiary in West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday have been rearrested as of Monday, an official said.Three of the 11 were arrested on Sunday as they attempted to board a public transportation vehicle in...

Ballot errors, fire disrupt Jakarta polls

Ballot errors, fire disrupt Jakarta polls JAKARTA (JP): A burning of a polling place, mockery and other complaints marked a cloudy election day on Monday in greater Jakarta while streets were deserted as residents lined up to vote.

Pickpocket fatally mobbed at terminal

Pickpocket fatally mobbed at terminal JAKARTA (JP): A mob at Kampung Rambutan intercity bus terminal in East Jakarta mobbed to death an alleged thief on Sunday morning.The incident occurred at around 9 a.m.