Militants attack Kashmir SRINAGAR, India (Reuters): Suspected separatist guerrillas fired grenades at a government-controlled Kashmir television center on Saturday, police said, a day before U.S. President Bill Clinton was due to arrive in New Delhi. The assault took place in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. There were no reports of casualties or damage, a police spokesman said.

'Lurik' cloth, an alternative to all that batik JAKARTA (JP): Recently, a lady rushed into a batik shop at Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta airport to buy a piece of lurik cloth as a gift for her friend. The shop's attendant looked confused and was unable to find the cloth among heaps of batik and other local textiles. "I'm sorry.. mam, I am afraid I've never heard that kind of cloth," she replied hesitantly. The lady, Suwati Kartiwa, an expert on Indonesian textiles, was startled.

Guess What? Tamalia Alisyahbana Nothing makes Tamalia Alisyahbana happier than welcoming junior guests at the newly renovated National Archive Building in downtown Jakarta. Tamalia, executive director of the National Archive, said she wanted to create a child-friendly environment and to throw open the building to school students.

The 'real jazz mama' on tour here By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): Monica Crosby loves quaffing tea almost as much as she loves music. But she had to travel all the way to Indonesia to fully appreciate what goes into the growing and harvesting of tea. "The efforts of all those women working in the fields! For the first time in my life I saw what it takes to make tea," says Florida's first lady of jazz after a drive through the tea plantations of Puncak.

Theft reported at Akbar's house: Police JAKARTA (JP): City police have launched an investigation into a reported burglary in the early morning hours of Saturday at the residence of Golkar Party chairman and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung. Akbar was out of town and no members of his household at Jl. Widya Chandra III/10, in the ministerial housing complex in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, were willing to confirm the reported burglary. But Jakarta Police chief spokesman Lt. Col.

Public relations firms learn ins and outs of media relations By Stevie Emilia JAKARTA (JP): A journalist rushes to attend a seminar at a fancy five-star hotel, but, much to his dismay, finds that he is forced to endure a punishing "screening process" before he can go in. The "examiner" is an attractive public relations officer who stops the journalist with her smile.

On concept of society Is there a Bahasa Indonesia word to express the concept of society? This question arose in Sungai Penuh recently when a small team convened to devise the methodology for a zonation plan for the Kerinci-Seblat National Park. We conceived "society" as the sum of the people plus the government apparatus, institutions etc. plus culture plus the interactions between these elements. The concept of "society" is fundamentally holistic.

Reebok Treadmill comes to Indonesia Since Joe Weider Fitness equipment became a leader in the fitness movement, since 1993, 6,700 Cardiovascular and Strength Training Fitness machines have been installed countrywide. Now, they bring you the latest edition of their Home Use Cardiovascular Fitness Equipment -- Reebok ACD 2 Treadmill.

Thousands of East Timorese pour back into Indonesia JAKARTA (JP): The government has reported that some 10,000 East Timorese repatriated by international agencies have returned to neighboring East Nusa Tenggara over the past month. Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication Basri Hasanuddin said on Saturday the East Timorese were streaming back to refugee camps in Indonesia because of uncertainties at home, including food shortages.

Lifeline braille magazine needs rescuing By Kafil Yamin BANDUNG (JP): Burung camar terbang tinggi/ hinggap di atas batu karang/ ngaku jadi Muslim sejati/ tapi tak pernah sembahyang. These lines of the quatrain can be translated as: Seagull flies high/ It lands on the rock/ (They) call themselves good Muslims/ but never perform prayers.

PR firms back in business after tough time The economic crisis dealt a fatal blow to many of the fledgling public relations agencies which set up shop in the early 1990s. Still, several new firms and industry stalwarts survived, even prospering, despite the tough times. The Jakarta Post team of Bruce Emond, Stevie Emilia, Rita A. Widiadana and Chris Brummitt looks at the issue. More on Page 3 and Page 5.

North Jakarta slum residents going nowhere Text by Mehru Jaffer, photos by William R. Durman JAKARTA (JP): There is no need to ask for her postal address in North Jakarta. The overpowering stench from the stagnant waters of the Cengkareng wetland is enough to lead one straight into the heart of hundreds of new settlements where 49-year-old Yati lives.

Free weddings provided for the capital's poor JAKARTA (JP): Clad in casual clothes and witnessed by waiting couples, bridegroom Warso (left) smiles while his bride Warsih kisses his hand while receiving his wedding gift, the Koran. The two were among 32 couples who exchanged their wedding vows at the Islamic marital affairs office on Jl. Pegangsaan Timur in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Central Java hopes for 5 golds from cycling SEMARANG (JP): As the 15th National Games (PON) in Surabaya approach, the Central Java cycling team hopes to win five golds in the quadrennial event to be held from June 19 to June 30. The coach of the Central Java cycling team, Sudono Sudamar, said the target would be difficult to meet because cyclists from other provinces had more experience and were better prepared.

Spotlight Photo A: Borobudur JP/alx GET READY: State Minister of Investment and State Enterprises Development Laksamana Sukardi (right) examines his speech while his secretary Rozy Munir observes. Laksamana was attending Danareksa's business luncheon to promote Indonesian business opportunities at Hotel Borobudur last Tuesday.

Gus Dur meets Ali Sadikin JAKARTA (JP): After having a series of meetings with the country's senior citizens, including former presidents Soeharto and B.J. Habibie, President Abdurrahman Wahid paid a visit on Saturday to one of the country's leading critics. The President, who is also known as Gus Dur, visited former Jakarta governor Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin at his private residence in Pejaten, South Jakarta.

MaxMara keeps abreast of market desires By Agni Amorita JAKARTA (JP): Italian branded boutique MaxMara takes an accommodative approach toward international tastes, making its collection a global item abroad. For working attire, the firm has been implementing an American standard -- one of its best selling collections called "west coast" was inspired by a photomontage of Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Its evening gowns are heavily influenced by their European "glamorous" textures.

Danny Juswanto wins Enerpac Fair Play JAKARTA (JP): International Master (MI) Danny Juswanto won the Enerpac Fair Play chess championship after outclassing his closest rival, MI Salor Sitanggang of West Java in the 40th move of the Sicilia Paulsen defense. Danny said after the match on Friday night at the Utut Adianto chess school in Bekasi that he understood Salor's play because both players had met many times. The result puts Danny on top with 7.5 victory points (VP).

PR schools not reflecting modern business JAKARTA (JP): Eighteen-year-old Dody is radiant in the hope of becoming a public relations (PR) officer at a multinational company. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the Interstudi Public Relations School, a well-known public relations school in Jakarta, the capital where business flourishes. But what he found at the school was far from his expectations. "I still have to study Pancasila, the state ideology, and other irrelevant subjects.

The ABC's of dating for dummies, with help from the Internet By A. Suhandojo JAKARTA (JP): It's Saturday night and you are a single woman who does not have a date. You are alone in your room. That lonely feeling that you've been successfully hidden away on weekdays in your office slowly crawls to the surface. You try to call your friends, but you only reach their answering machines, since all of them are out with their lovers. Then you turn on the TV, only to find boring programs.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. Morning News 7:00 Health and Fresh 8:00 Children's Program 9:30 Cooking Program 10:00 Music 11:00 TV Drama 12:15 p.m. Comedy 1:00 TV Series 2:00 News 2:30 Teen Program 3:00 Sports 4:30 Religious Teachings 5:00 Film 5:30 Sports 6:00 News (in English) 6:30 Music 7:00 Evening News 7:30 TV Drama 8:00 Variety Show 9:00 World News 9:30 TV Drama 10:30 Music 11:30 Late News Program 2 4:30 p.m.

Guess What? Butet Kartaredjasa His rare talent of impersonating major public figures does not make Butet Kartaredjasa, dubbed the king of monologue, happy. And through his upcoming monologue, Mayat Terhormat (Respected Corpse) he's trying to prove his theatrical talent. "In this monologue, I'll try to test my ability in translating the character I should play.

Examining the price of Indonesia's forest fires Indonesia's fire and haze: the cost of catastrophe; Edited by David Glover and Timothy Jessup; Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 1999; 149 pages JAKARTA (JP): One does not need to be a prophet to express the view that the Southeast Asian forest fires and smog -- there is a difference -- of 1997-1998 constituted a very major environmental disaster.

Indonesian shuttlers advance to Swiss semis JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's singles shuttler Hendrawan and the men's doubles team of Flandy Limpele and Eng Hian reached the semifinals of the four-star Swiss Open in Basel, Switzerland. Eighth seeded Hendrawan upset second seeded Chen Hong of China 15-10, 15-8 on Friday in 47 minutes. The Indonesian will face All England champion Xia Xuanze of China in Saturday's semifinals.

Pioneer puts his spin on the industry By Chris Brummit JAKARTA (JP): More than 30 years coordinating the public relations (PR) of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia has given Wisaksono Noeradi the right to call himself one of the "old soldiers" of the Indonesian PR industry. Caltex has not been his sole concern though: he has also found time to lecture on PR, write about it and, in 1981, form the Indonesian association dedicated to it.

Arts Agenda Glass Painting Exhibition and Book Launching, Kretek, the Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarettes by Mark Hanusz at Ceria Room, Hotel Shangri-La Jakarta, Jalan Jendral Sudirman, Kav 1, Central Jakarta, on March 21, at 7 p.m. Written by former investment banker Mark Hanusz, the book Kretek: The Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarette documents the particular circumstances that gave rise to the birth of the local tobacco industry for over one hundred years.

Oka Sulaksana gets new manager, sponsor JAKARTA (JP): National windsurfer Oka Sulaksana will no longer be worried about cash and opportunity on his quest to be one of the world's best windsurfers, after signing an agreement with Imagin'Air Group, a group of companies which concentrates on the development of communication technology. Oka said that the group would act as his managing partner and official sponsor.

Guest What? Harry Darsono Harry Darsono turned 50 last Wednesday. "I hope I will be happy, healthy and wealthy," Harry said as he made his wishes. As a noted couturier and one of the members of the Darsono family, owners of the Wismilak cigarette company in Surabaya, East Java, Harry is, of course, not poor. "My definition of a rich man is one who has a lot of friends and a fulfilling life," said Harry who is now occupied with art and social activities.