Indonesia rolls into 2000 safely JAKARTA (JP): There were no power outages, phones rang and flights were kept to schedule as the new millennium arrived on Saturday. People were also able to withdraw money from automatic teller machines. Early fears of massive chaos caused by computer crashes or glitches proved totally groundless as public utility services rolled smoothly into the year 2000.

Used cans turned into artwork By R. Agus Bakti MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): Used cans are usually considered garbage that can harm the environment. Yet to Suharmanto, used cans are raw material for his artwork. Suharmanto, 39, has become successful with used cans. Not just for himself but also for people around him. What is his trick?

Maluku enjoys brief lull over New Year's break JAKARTA (JP): Maluku enjoyed a brief respite over the New Year break from almost continuous violence, with reports of only minor clashes, as figures show that escalating violence in 1999 has killed over 1,000 people. The final week of the year saw the devastation reach new heights in Maluku, with about 300 people killed in the last three days on Halmahera Island alone.

RI must prioritize socialization of athletics and swimming By Primastuti Handayani JAKARTA (JP): The sports community has long known that track and field is the mother of all sports. That is why the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has ruled that track and field is one of four sports which must be featured in multisports events. The other three sports are swimming, gymnastics and shooting.

Secondhand clothes find big market in Pontianak By Yetie G. Tamen PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): Secondhand clothes? Why not? That is perhaps the motto of customers at Lelong market in the heart of Pontianak, the principal town of West Kalimantan. Lelong in the local language means used clothes, and indeed the Lelong market trades in secondhand clothes. Most of the clothes are still intact but their colors have faded.

Prejudice in HIV-positive woman's death By Husein Habsyi JAKARTA (JP): Innalillaahi wa Innaa Ilaihi Rooji'uun (We are truly Allah's and to Him we return). In the first week of this fasting month, a woman from Karawang, West Java, died in a private hospital in Jakarta from complications of HIV/AIDS. Two weeks earlier, the woman, "Mia", was taken to the workshop of the Pelita Ilmu (Light of Science) Foundation (YPI).

Expats share the joy of Ramadhan away from home By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): "With growing commerce came new sets of values and concerns ... As values changed and the gap between the rich and poor widened, resentment among the less fortunate began to intensify. It was an uneasy world .... " This could very well be a description of our world on the eve of the new millennium, except that Mathew S.

I vow to make a promise on the eve of the new year JAKARTA (JP): Let's lift our hands up into the air and shout as loud as we can, "Happy New Year! Happy New Millennium!!" Like people say, New Year is the time to change yourself into a better person. So, for those of you who have made some improvements this year, continue your shouting with "Yes, I have!". (long silence) That's what I thought. Nobody has done anything or planned anything to change themselves this year.

Tapping bookshelf business in Yogyakarta By Asep Pathulrachman YOGYAKARTA (Antara): To one observant enough to spot the business potentials in Yogyakarta, known as the city of students, earning a living is not a difficult proposition. With some 10,000 secondary school and university students in the city, formerly the seat of the Mataram Kingdom, Yogyakarta would appear to offer great potential for the bookshelf business.

Chrisye: Reproduction is not shameful to me By Endi Aras JAKARTA (JP): Singer and songwriter Chrisye has gone through such a long journey that many of his works have become legendary. Currently the 53-year-old singer is attracting fresh attention with the release of his latest album, a rerecording of the soundtrack of the noted film Badai Pasti Berlalu (The Storm Must Be Over), starring Christine Hakim and Slamet Rahardjo.

Ex-miner Rozik digs into his new job JAKARTA (JP): Mining and public works are two such very different professions that it is difficult to think any person with an established career in any one of them would want to switch fields, especially if he is already in his fifties. Rozik Boedioro Soetjipto made that switch, not by choice, but rather on the orders of President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Ramadhan time for Jakarta Sunday Maghrib 6:13 p.m. Monday Imsak 4:10 a.m. Subuh 4:20 a.m.

'Dangdut' music enjoys rosy days in l999 By Endi Aras JAKARTA (JP): Once considered cheap and vulgar, dangdut music is now winning the hearts of numerous Indonesian and international music buffs. It is encouraging to see so many dangdut (local music strongly influenced by a Hindi and Arabic beat) singers who have started to carve their names in the international music scene.

Soothsayers see another tough year for RI By Stevie Emilia JAKARTA (JP): There are great expectations for the year 2000 as a general mood of excitement greets the new millennium, discounting those who believe it is being celebrated a year early. Despite all the hype, one question still awaits an answer: will the crisis end this year? Soothsayers interviewed by The Jakarta Post are divided on this issue.

Marking time with a cancer survivor By Grace Segran JAKARTA (JP): We were sitting in the International Baccalaureate (IB) coordinator's office two weeks before school was about to start. My daughter Elizabeth had waited all summer for this occasion -- to discuss her IB program with the school. She had just got A's for her GCSE O levels, and was ready for the IB challenge.

Art 1999: Testing the waters of freedom By Chandra Johan JAKARTA (JP): Turmoil and newfound freedom have brought a new era of "punditry" to the Indonesian people, in which everyone is suddenly free to speak their mind. Amid all the blessings and dreams after the fall of Soeharto and the May 1998 unrest, the country's landscape is still daubed in the darkness of turmoil, clashes, violence, anarchy and crisis.

Experiencing nature with your children is fun for all By Lestari Danardana BOGOR, West Java (JP): Nowadays, many young parents are concerned about playing with their children at the weekends. Due to their lack of time, they tend to take them to playgrounds at malls or to other entertainment centers. We can see their happy faces as they play on the various attractions there, from the merry-go-round and go-carts to video games and sophisticated virtual games.

Jakartans greet New Year's with joy JAKARTA (JP): Like revelers in other metropolises across the globe, partygoers welcoming the new millennium in Jakarta celebrated the once-in-a-lifetime rollover with joy, nods to religion, paper trumpets, firecrackers and fireworks. The much-feared Y2K computer bug was quickly forgotten as no bug-related problems materialized. Water and electricity, elevators and automatic teller machines in Greater Jakarta operated as normal with no signs of Y2K glitches.

RI women detained in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's immigration department will focus its enforcement operations on entertainment centers this year to curb rising prostitution by foreign women, a report said Saturday. Director-general Aseh Che Mat, quoted by the official Bernama news agency, said foreign prostitutes were found in karaoke lounges, pubs, massage parlors and luxury apartments in the Klang Valley around the capital.

Bogor bullfrogs hopping onto plates in Jakarta By Joko Sarwono BOGOR, West Java (JP): Any prospective entrepreneur, at least one with any foresight, first weighs the opportunities of a business and the costs. Few businesses meet all the requirements, but breeding bullfrogs (Rana catesbiana) is one that does. A bullfrog breeder from Bogor, Asmono Gondomartono, said that he decided to breed the animal because it was a cheap and easy-to-manage business that could generate a big profit.

President changes Irian Jaya's name to Papua JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid not only rang in the new millennium here but also declared that Indonesia's easternmost province would now be called Papua. "I officially announce that the name Irian becomes Papua," he said here on Friday.

Spotlight Photo H: Cards Visa COUNTER MEASURE: Visa International has developed the Cardholder Risk Identification Service (CRIS) to prevent misuse of cards. Visa Asia Pacific executive vice president-risk management general manager Jack Miller (left) recently presented CRIS software to director of the National Police directorate of special crime, Brig. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika.