Archive: 4 December 2000
43 articles found
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Estrada's impeachment: A national embarrassment
Estrada's impeachment: A national embarrassment By Isagani A. Cruz MANILA: Let us turn our attention briefly from the garbage of the presidential misdeeds as alleged in the Articles of Impeachment to the incredible garbage piling up in the streets of Metro Manila. It's as scandalous as the many magnificent mansions of Erap and much more malodorous. The lady who affronted our national pride was right. Claire Danes had reason to be revolted by the cockroaches and the rats.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Lesson for filmmakers
Lesson for filmmakers From Warta Kota I recalled with the review of an Iranian film, Children of Heaven in VCD format that Warta Kota published on Nov. 28 that this film had been screened in a number of cinemas in Jakarta for several months. My friends and I went to see the film to prove to ourselves that even a Third-World country with by a major social problem could still produce a good film.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Hancock CEO files libel suit
Hancock CEO files libel suit KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): John Hancock Life Insurance-Malaysia president and chief executive officer John Ng Kim Hoong has filed a suit against the company for alleged libel. The Sun daily reported Saturday that the suit for 60 million Ringgit (US$15.7 million) was filed in the Kuala Lumpur Civil High Court on Friday.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Junta urged to boost dialog
Junta urged to boost dialog YANGON (AFP): A group of former National League for Democracy (NLD) members appealed on Sunday to Myanmar's ruling junta to step up its dialog with opposition parties. In a letter sent to top members of the junta, the former members, who were kicked out of the NLD for developing too close ties to the government, warned that without dialog, the nation's development will remain stalled.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Thailand to produce 2m liters of ethanol by 2002
Thailand to produce 2m liters of ethanol by 2002 BANGKOK (DPA): As part of the government's effort to reduce dependency on imported fuels, the newly established National Ethanol Committee has set a production target of two million liters of the alternative fuel by the year 2002, news reports said Sunday. The National Ethanol Committee will announce its master plan later this month, said the Bangkok Post.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Are the disabled close to equality?
Are the disabled close to equality? By Inge Komardjaja BANDUNG (JP): The International Day for Disabled People on Dec. 3 is held to commemorate the existence and plight of disabled people. They are the world's largest minority and most of them live in Asia and the Pacific. The end of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, is just around the corner. Two more years from now we can assess whether the goal of equal opportunities is a growing realization.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Pertamina to own majority stake in CPP oil block: Govt
Pertamina to own majority stake in CPP oil block: Govt JAKARTA (JP): The government said state oil and gas company Pertamina will own the majority stake in a joint company that will operate the Coastal Plains Pekanbaru (CPP) oil block in Riau. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government would decide Pertamina's exact share in January next year.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Provincial council speaker to be fired
Provincial council speaker to be fired BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has approved a move to dismiss party member Srie Atidah, the speaker of the provincial legislature here. In her decree dated Nov. 24, Megawati also ordered the suspension of Srie as chairwoman of the party's branch in the capital city of Lampung and named Ridwan Sangkut, M.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Minister assures safe trips ahead of holidays
Minister assures safe trips ahead of holidays YOGYAKARTA (JP): Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Agum Gumelar has assured holidaymakers bound for Central Java of a safe passage, despite concerns about possible landslides that may endanger their trips. In a visit here over the weekend to inspect preparations for the upcoming holiday season, Agum said road repairs were nearing completion and heavy equipment was already on standby for quick dispatch to disaster-prone areas.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
National Park looted
National Park looted On Oct. 16, 2000, driving down from Banyuwedang toward Negara in Bali, just before reaching Melaya we saw about 200 people with axes and hatchets cutting and marking trees along the side of the road around the West Bali National Park. They were local people from different nearby villages, marking the names of their villages on the trees. We asked why they were doing this. They said they had been given the land to grow crops and build houses.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
ASEAN+3 swaps lack muscle as a safety net
ASEAN+3 swaps lack muscle as a safety net NEW DELHI (Reuters): Doubts ASEAN+3 can build a big enough financial war chest for a swap scheme to support currencies in crisis are fueling skepticism about how well the safety net will work, analysts and traders said. Lenders in the program appeared cautious and ASEAN was showing signs of disunity, currency dealers attending the Asia Pacific Forex Congress in New Delhi said.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Police seize firecrackers
Police seize firecrackers SEMARANG: Sragen Police in Central Java arrested two firecracker sellers and seized their merchandise on Saturday. Police detective chief First Insp. Sudarto said the suspects, 33-year-old Jumari and 27-year-old Rusito, had been under surveillance for the past two days after receiving a tip from locals who said they saw the two men driving a van loaded with a large number of firecrackers.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Ramadhan time for Jakarta
Ramadhan time for Jakarta Monday Maghrib 6:00 p.m. Tuesday Imsak 3:57 a.m. Subuh 4:07 a.m.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Land owned by Tommy in Serang confiscated
Land owned by Tommy in Serang confiscated JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta prosecutors seized on Saturday a plot of land belonging to fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of former president Soeharto, as a guarantee against his some Rp 30.6 billion (US$3.2 million) debt to the state. The seizure of Tommy's land was led by prosecutor Yudi Sutoto of the South Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, who was accompanied by officials from the Serang Prosecutor's Office and Serang Police officers.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
First Lady feeds Jakarta's poor
First Lady feeds Jakarta's poor JAKARTA (JP): First Lady Shinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman personally delivered food packages to 400 workers at the Tanjung Priok bus station and 3,000 residents of a low-cost apartment block in Cilincing, North Jakarta, early on Saturday morning. The packages, containing rice, chicken, vegetables and fruit, were delivered in time for sahur, the predawn meal before Muslims began their daily fast during Ramadhan.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Referendum without options
Referendum without options After his recent visit to Aceh, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais said: "If the autonomy law is unsatisfactory and the security situation in Aceh is not improved and the people's suffering continues to worsen, anyone with a healthy brain can predict there will be a referendum. Therefore it's not now, but later." (The Indonesian Observer, Nov. 16, 2000). This statement raises some questions.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Indonesia to send doctors to Malaysia, says Sujudi
Indonesia to send doctors to Malaysia, says Sujudi JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health and Social Welfare Ahmad Suyudi said on Saturday the government was working on an agreement with the Malaysian government to send Indonesian doctors to Malaysia. Sujudi said the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia contacted him recently to ask for the ministry's help to recruit Indonesian doctors. The Malaysian government, he said, has asked for some 400 specialists and 2,500 general practitioners.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Police receive bomb threat
Police receive bomb threat BATAM, Riau: A bomb squad rushed to the council building in Tanjung Pinang, Bintan Island, on Saturday after police were told a bomb had been planted in the building. The head of the East Riau Islands Police, Supt. Mishar, said on Saturday police were informed in the morning that a bomb had been placed in the building. He added that the identity of the informant was not known. A sweep of the building proved the bomb threat to be a hoax.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Police should follow up on Rusdihardjo's testimony
Police should follow up on Rusdihardjo's testimony JAKARTA (JP): Legal observers said on Saturday former National Police chief Rusdihardjo's testimony before a special committee of the House of Representatives could not be used as evidence in court, but should be investigated by the police. "The police must investigate the truth of Rusdihardjo's testimony before the House's special committee," Satjipto Rahardjo, a law professor at Semarang's Diponegoro University, told The Jakarta Post by phone.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
S'pore adds Danish, German beef to ban
S'pore adds Danish, German beef to ban SINGAPORE (AP): Germany and Denmark have been added to a list of countries whose beef cannot be imported to Singapore amid fears of mad cow disease, a newspaper reported on Sunday. German beef imports were banned last month and Danish beef was added to the list as early as March, the Straits Times newspaper quoted Agri-food and Veterinarian Authority officials as saying.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Sulawesi flood victims in need of relief aid
Sulawesi flood victims in need of relief aid JAKARTA (JP): Some 10,000 people, who have had their homes buried, swept away or destroyed by massive flooding and devastating landslides in several areas of North Sulawesi, have been living in squalid conditions and are facing inadequate stocks of food, clean water and medical supplies, an official said on Sunday.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Govt, House agree on 2001 state budget
Govt, House agree on 2001 state budget JAKARTA (JP): The government and the House of Representatives state budget committee reached a final agreement Saturday on the size of the 2001 state budget, with some revisions. The new assumptions of the upcoming state budget are as follows: the exchange rate of the rupiah is Rp 7,800 per U,S..
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Stocks of foodstuffs OK in Jakarta: Official
Stocks of foodstuffs OK in Jakarta: Official JAKARTA (JP): The current stocks of basic foodstuffs and necessities in the capital are enough to last until 10 days after the Dec. 27-28 Idul Fitri holidays, an official said. According to the head of the City Economic Development Office, Dameria Saragih, her office would also do everything it could to help stabilize the prices of essential commodities, particularly rice, meat, chicken, cooking oil, vegetables and fish.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Tangerang Police busy hunting down 2 women escapees
Tangerang Police busy hunting down 2 women escapees JAKARTA (JP): While still unable to pick up the trail of the country's most wanted criminal, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, police officers are busy hunting down two women convicts who escaped on Friday from Tangerang Women's Penitentiary on the western outskirts of here.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Aceh peaceful ahead of GAM anniversary
Aceh peaceful ahead of GAM anniversary BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): While tension was mounting in Irian Jaya following the celebration of the unsuccessful 1961 declaration of independence, there was a semblance of peace at the opposite end of the archipelago on Sunday. In Aceh on the eve of the 24th anniversary of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the police reiterated a warning against attempts to hoist the separatist flag.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
PSA rebuts Danish firm's complaint of poor service
PSA rebuts Danish firm's complaint of poor service SINGAPORE (DPA): PSA Corporation defended on Saturday the quality of its service as "appropriate" and "professional", responding to criticism from the Danish firm Maersk-Sealand.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
What's in a color; use it as a natural therapeutic tool
What's in a color; use it as a natural therapeutic tool By Tishy Bruce JAKARTA (JP): Colors have unique qualities which can be used by you, for you. They can be used in clothes you wear, colors in your environment and in any empowerment or healing situation. When you wake up in the morning and are drawn to a particular color, ask yourself why! Your intuitive powers are telling you something. Follow your intuition.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
TV today
TV today TVRI 3:30 a.m. Ramadhan Special: Uraian Syiar Sahur 4:30 Ramadhan Special: Koran Recital 5:30 Ramadhan Special: Pelajaran Iqro 6:00 News 8:00 Children's Program 8:30 Music 9:00 Interval 2:00 p.m. News 2:30 Talk Show 3:30 Music 4:00 News 4:30 Religious Teachings 5:30 Ramadhan Special: Mutiara Ramadhan 6:00 TVRI News 6:30 Economic News 7:00 Evening News 7:30 TV Drama 8:00 Sports 8:30 Talk Show 9:00 News 9:30 Music 10:30 News Program 2 5:00 p.m.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
State must care for soldiers: General
State must care for soldiers: General PADANG, West Sumatra: The chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command, Maj. Gen. IG Purnawa, said the nation should not demand too much of its soldiers as long as their basic needs are not being met. "It's ridiculous to expect TNI (Indonesian Military) to be professional if the state does not satisfy the needs of its soldiers in carrying out their duties," Purnawa said here on Saturday.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Tokio Marine aims to dominate in India
Tokio Marine aims to dominate in India NEW DELHI (Reuters): Japan's largest non-life insurer, Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co, is committed to India for the long term, and will strive to become the leading general insurer in the country, a company official said. "We want to be number one in India's non-life insurance industry. This is the first time that Tokio Marine has set such a goal in a foreign country," Takuya Okui, Tokio Marine representative in New Delhi, said in an interview.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Mt. Bromo volcano begins to spew ash
Mt. Bromo volcano begins to spew ash JAKARTA (JP): The 2,392-meter Mt. Bromo volcano in East Java has been closed to tourists as ash was constantly spewing from its crater, officials said on Sunday. Widely known as a scenic tourist attraction, the mountain began to spew ash on Wednesday, with the wind now carrying it as far as the neighboring towns of Probolinggo, Pasuruan, Malang, Sidoarjo and parts of the East Java capital of Surabaya.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Draft city budget to be examined before endorsement
Draft city budget to be examined before endorsement JAKARTA (JP): A councillor promised on Sunday to look into the 2001 draft city budget to prevent the city administration from squandering money on unnecessary programs. Councillor Amarullah Asbah from the Golkar Party said each of the council's five commissions would be involved in the effort, which is also aimed at minimizing corruption.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Photographs go on show for charity
Photographs go on show for charity JAKARTA (JP): Three South Koreans who have been living in Jakarta for the last eight years will display their photographs during a two-week exhibition at Cahya Photo Gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta, beginning next week. Kim Yoonho, Kim OneKwan and Kang HeeJoon will contribute all proceeds from their joint photo exhibition, titled "Heart to Heart", to finance operations for children with harelips. YoonHo is the president of a toy producing firm.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Monastery entered in museum records
Monastery entered in museum records JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Museum of Records will present a certificate to the Nimmala Buddhist Monastery foundation in Tangerang for its 10,753.6 pound (4,888 kilogram) urn for holding joss sticks, which is made of onyx. Trisno Budijanto from the foundation said on Sunday that the certificate would be presented by museum founder Jaya Suprana at the monastery, also called Boen San Bio, on Monday morning.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
E. Timor Cabinet members threaten mass resignation
E. Timor Cabinet members threaten mass resignation DILI, East Timor (AP): Four Cabinet members have threatened to resign from the United Nations-appointed quasi-government in East Timor, calling themselves "caricatures of ministers in a Banana Republic".
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Chinese opinion to be debated in KL
Chinese opinion to be debated in KL KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling coalition will debate the ethnic Chinese community's reaction to a controversial new school system, news reports said on Sunday. Government politicians believe that ethnic Chinese anxiety over proposals for an education overhaul cost them hundreds of votes in a recent local assembly election won by the opposition.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Unpresidential words
Unpresidential words Foreign minister Alwi Shihab may be right, that the President's latest untempered words regarding Singapore will do no lasting harm to Indonesia's relationship with that country. Or The Jakarta Post may be correct in suggesting that the President might have done irreparable harm to this special bilateral relationship. What seems certainly harmed is the President himself.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Row leading to attack on apartment settled
Row leading to attack on apartment settled JAKARTA (JP): A dispute between management of the Taman Rasuna Apartments and local residents has been peacefully settled following a recent attack on the building, a police officer said on Sunday. "The apartment management has agreed to let the residents play badminton again in the open space within the apartment compound," chief of the South Jakarta Police criminal investigation unit, First Insp. Siswono, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Police seize Papuan militia HQ
Police seize Papuan militia HQ JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): Police occupied on Sunday a cultural center housing the headquarters of the Papuan taskforce proindependence militia. The security forces also rounded up 47 people during the predawn takeover, but all were released later in the day except for two who were charged with possessing weapons. Irian Jaya Police chief Brig. Gen. Sylvanus Y.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
One dead in Ambon clash
One dead in Ambon clash AMBON, Maluku: Fresh violence erupted in Mardika here on Saturday, leaving one person dead and five injured. Civil Security Post's spokesman John Tomasowa confirmed the attack, but could not identify the fatality. The wounded, identified as Fendy Ruhubreg, Elly Muskita, Yance Usmani, Ongen and Andreas Souhoka, were among seven guards on duty in a building on Jl. Tulukabessy, in Mardika.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Youth drowns during brawl
Youth drowns during brawl JAKARTA (JP): A teenager was found dead in the Kali Buntu river, Kebon Bawang, North Jakarta, after he tried to escape a brawl with a rival gang in the early hours of Sunday, relatives said. The victim, La Dawi, 19, a local ojek sepeda (bicycle taxi), had also suffered head injuries. A relative, Iman, 20, said after Dawi finished subuh (morning prayer) he joined friends to loiter in the area as is common during the Ramadhan fasting month.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
Mass grave found in rebels camp
Mass grave found in rebels camp ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Military troops discovered a mass grave containing 15 bodies after they overran a camp of the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, local military officials said on Sunday. The bodies, believed to be Abu Sayyaf members, were found on Friday and were already bloated and decomposing, said Maj. Gen. Narciso Abaya, head of the task force leading a military assault on the Abu Sayyaf in southern Jolo island.
Mon, 04 Dec 2000, 00:00 WIB
House inquiry on financial scandals illegal, experts say
House inquiry on financial scandals illegal, experts say JAKARTA (JP): A House of Representatives inquiry into two financial scandals linked to President Abdurrahman Wahid is illegal as it had yet to be listed in the state gazette, two constitutional law professors said on Sunday.