Gama sees hope, progress for East Timor The past 22 years have been marked by diplomatic acrimony between Lisbon and Jakarta over the issue of East Timor. The recent breakthrough in peace talks in the province and the United Nations-sponsored direct ballot in East Timor on Aug. 30 have led to a slight thawing in ties.

DBS profit up four-fold SINGAPORE (AFP): Southeast Asia's top banking group, the Development Bank of Singapore, on Wednesday announced its net profit rose four-fold from a year ago to S$654.96 million (US$387.55 million) in the first half of the year.

Asian monies gain ground on yen's surge HONG KONG (Dow Jones): The dollar's tumble against the yen dragged the U.S. currency lower against Asian regional currencies during local trading hours on Wednesday. In Southeast Asia, the dollar weakened against the Singapore dollar and dropped sharply against the Indonesian rupiah. Heavy sales of the U.S. currency were also seen against the Thai baht, despite the closure of markets in Bangkok for a holiday. Heavy U.S.

Yogyakarta's bustier seller finds religion pays By Bambang Tiong YOGYAKARTA (JP): Yohana Juminah, 54, began her career in 1966 as a traditional bustier maker in Beringharjo market, Yogyakarta. During her six years in this profession, she never even had a glimpse of success, and the number of orders she received began to fall. During this time in 1972, her business was undermined by competitors offering higher quality and better designed products.

Suparma plans bonus shares SURABAYA (JP): Publicly listed paper producer PT Suparma said on Wednesday it would issue bonus shares to shareholders in a bid to increase its paid-up capital. Company president Hendro Luhur said shareholders approved the issuance of 616,572,000 bonus shares. "Shareholders will get 198 bonus shares for every 100 shares they own," Hendro said. The company produced 67,000 tons of paper in 1998, as compared to some 50,000 tons the previous year.

PLN defends Tanjung Jati B buyout plan JAKARTA (JP): State-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), countering criticisms over its plan to buy out the Tanjung Jati B power plant, said on Wednesday the buyout scheme would alleviate its financial commitments. PLN president Adhi Satriya said the buyout scheme was the most favorable option presented to PLN during recent negotiations with dozens of independent power producers (IPPs).

Inco nets US$4.1m profit JAKARTA (JP): Publicly listed tin mining company PT Inco announced on Wednesday an unaudited net profit of US$4.1 million for the second quarter of the year, a 25.4 percent decrease from $5.5 million in the second quarter of last year. "Our results and cash generation continued to improve in this quarter, compared with the previous quarter.

Billions allotted for contraceptives SURABAYA: The National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) has provided the provincial office of the National Family Planning Board with Rp 30 billion to purchase contraceptives for 1.1 million couples. "The assistance has come on time as contraceptive stocks in East Java has run out," office head Sugiri Syarief said as quoted by Antara on Wednesday. "We have no budget to purchase contraceptives this year," he added.

China accedes to ASEAN nuclear treaty By Oei Eng Goan and Meidyatama Suryodiningrat SINGAPORE (JP): ASEAN made significant progress on Wednesday in having China accede to the protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), and urged other nuclear powers to comply with the treaty to ensure regional peace and stability.

Allianz expects $3.6m income from new clients JAKARTA (JP): Life insurance company PT Asuransi Allianz Life Indonesia expects premium income of Rp 24 billion (about US$3.6 million) from new policyholders this year. Marketing director Jens Reisch said on Wednesday the additional premium income would bring the company's gross premium income to Rp 44 billion this year. It predicts 15,000 new life insurance policyholders this year for a total of 65,000 customers by the end of the year, he added.

First impressions can be wrong By Marianus Kleden KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Weeks have passed, but actress Sophia Latjuba and her counterparts are still celebrating their success in attracting the attention of Peeping Toms and in distracting politicians' concentration by their exhibitionistic poses in the Popular magazine and other similar publications. Until very recently, discussions and talk-shows concerning the matter dominated prime time television and tabloid headlines.

Japan's car makers to keep Indonesian assembly operations JAKARTA (JP): Japan's automotive manufacturers said on Wednesday that they would maintain the operation of their assembly facilities here despite the recent removal of tax breaks given to vehicles with high local content. Hiroyuki Nakamura, deputy general manager of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA), said maintaining the existing assembly facilities would make their cars more competitive.