Living in low-cost apartments; Not super comfortable, but OK By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): It has been a long climb for Darmy, 45, to her third-floor apartment in the red-roofed high-rise housing complex in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. Three decades ago Darmy left her parched village in Surakarta, Central Java, for Jakarta in search of a better life. She married a taxi driver and lived in tin sheds along the intercity railway line that snakes across Petamburan, past Palmerah Selatan.

Everybody is crazy about Desy Ratnasari JAKARTA (JP): It must be the divorce of the year. As starlet Desy Ratnasari filed the petition to end her 13 month marriage with engineer Trenadi Pramudya, the proceeding was featured in most local media. Everything printed about Desy, one of the most popular actresses in the country, is selling like hot cakes and the print media is vying for the most complete and exclusive story.

Singh leads Medan Rally MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Malaysian racer and top seed Karamjit Singh and navigator Allen Eoh are still leading in the 2000 World Gudang Garam Rally here as of the fourth special stage (SS) on Saturday evening. Singh, who received blessings from Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad for participating in the rally, finished first in the 35.21-kilometer-long course in the SS1 and SS2 on Friday by clocking 00:25:38.1.

Apartments 'no longer an ivory tower' By I. Christianto JAKARTA (JP): A megalopolis with a cosmopolitan population, Jakarta has transformed into a capital with modern buildings, including high-rise residences. More people are realizing the benefits of individual strata-titled apartments, either through renting or buying serviced apartment units. Developers once targeted expatriates as the biggest potential market, but many locals are now moving into apartments.

The ups and downs of e-shopping By Devi M. Asmarani JAKARTA (JP): For a long time, I was one of those purists who thought shopping on the Internet was a redundant concept welcomed only by technology freaks, people with excessively low self- esteem or the unabomber.

Crash relatives appeal to Gus Dur SINGAPORE (DPA): Families of those killed in a SilkAir crash are urging Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid to look into the lack of investigative updates on the cause of the 1997 disaster that killed all 104 people aboard, it was reported on Saturday. A formal letter was turned over to Indonesia's ambassador in Singapore from members of an association representing the victims' families.

Violence taints protests near Soeharto residence JAKARTA (JP): Violence marred protests against the controversial fuel price hike and former president Soeharto on Saturday. One protest, held a few meters from the residence of Soeharto, degenerated into a clash when some 500 protesters tried to break through a cordon of police officers on Jl. Suwiryo in order to reach Soeharto's residence on Jl. Cendana in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Two protesters suffered serious injuries in the clash.

Jun Fan Gung Foo plus Maroon Town equals Fusion By Andrea Aguirre JAKARTA (JP): Picture this: You are standing in the middle of a mass of cheering fans, bobbing up and down to an undeniably irresistible beat, in awe of an ensemble of 10 awesome ska-reggae-breakbeat-rap musicians from Britain and Indonesia's biggest ska bands thrown together in the show of a lifetime. Where are you? A Maroon Town and Jun Fan Gung Foo concert, set to rock the Jakarta music scene on April 4.

Maesa to hold sports tourney JAKARTA (JP): Maesa, the oldest sports organization in Indonesia, will stage a national tournament called "Maesa Paskah 2000" to commemorate the tournament's 76th anniversary and the Easter holiday. The tournament will run from April 8 to April 23 here. The tournament will feature eight sports -- bridge, badminton, boxing, fencing, golf, karate, soccer and tennis -- said tournament spokesperson Joan Henuhili-Raturandang in a media release.

Banyuwangi residents turn tables on story mocking their traditions By Antariksawan Jusuf JAKARTA (JP): A female dancer, donning a reddish sarong with a typical golden Balinese batik pattern, opens the traditional opera. Other dancers, clad in multiple layers of clothing, remind the audience of Drama Gong opera dancers of Bali. The accompanying musical instruments are part of a Balinese gamelan orchestra which plays a Balinese tune. The characters of the opera speak in an upper-Javanese dialect.

Chinese swimmers dominates Asian C'ships JAKARTA (JP): China dominated the fourth day of the Sixth Asian Swimming Championships in Pusan, South Korea, by scooping on Saturday nine of 10 gold medals on offer. The Chinese men's team contributed a gold in the 400 meters freestyle relay by clocking 3 minutes 25.88 seconds. South Korea trailed in second place with 3:27.77 and Kazakhstan was third with 3:28.26.

Sleman handicrafts find international market By Singgir Kartana YOGYAKARTA (JP): Bamboo in rural areas is most often used for simple household articles, such as baskets and containers. Walls are often made of sheets of plaited bamboo. Bamboo may also serve as firewood. All these uses have hardly any economic value.

Lazy, hazy days in the orchards of Batu town By Gin Kurniawan BATU, East Java (JP): Fruit trees, vegetable plants and flowers grow luxuriantly over a wide expanse on the slopes of shady hills here. This vast garden has been laid out naturally, a delight for the eyes. It is not surprising that a great number of visitors like to spend the entire day in this garden. They want to feel the freshness of the cool air and the beauty of the scenery while enjoying fresh fruit just picked from the trees.

Arts Agenda Painting Exhibition: Bentuk-Bentuk Purba (Ancient Shapes), an exhibition of work by I Made Wiradana at the Chedi Ubud, Desa Melinggih Kelod, Payangan, Gianyar 80572, Bali. Phone (0361) 975963, fax (0361) 975968. Through until May 18. The exhibition displays unique works by the young Balinese painter I Made Wiradana. Most of the exhibited works are inspired by elements found in primitive art. Born in l968, the painter graduated from the Yogyakarta Arts Institute.

Apartments: A new concept in Jakarta By I. Christianto Dubbed a concrete jungle, Jakarta has numerous sky scrappers, and many luxury high-rise apartments. Apartment living is not entertained by most Indonesians, but as time goes by, more locals seem to feel comfortable with the new lifestyle. JAKARTA (JP): Robby looked exhausted when he arrived at his office in Sunter.

Balinese architecture: Home for body and soul By Degung Santikarma DENPASAR (JP): Traditionally, Balinese architecture offers not just shelter from sun and storm but provides a commentary on the order of the cosmos.

Int'l meet lures 450 karatekas JAKARTA (JP): Some 489 karatekas and 41 referees from 59 countries will attend the seventh World Shotokan Karate-do International Federation (SKIP) championships from April 21 to April 23 in Nusa Dua, Bali. Japan, the homeland of shotokan karate-do, will deploy a full team of 36 karatekas, said Fauzy Saidi, a member of the championship's organizing committee. Iran will send 33, Great Britain 27, Venezuela 25 and Mexico and Uzbekistan with 29 karatekas each.

People made April fools by the authorities JAKARTA (JP): Perhaps only a few people here remember that the annual game known as April fool was once enjoyed by people because it was very entertaining. That is why nobody connected the government's announcement that it had postponed the fuel price hike with April Fools' Day, although newspapers carried the story on April 1. The fun of the game is now history in Indonesia.

Contemporary designs reshape the nature of jewelry JAKARTA (JP): The emergence of new and more innovative designs in jewelry making have led it to evolve from being a mere craft to that of a fine and difficult art. Contemporary designers no longer stick to traditional materials like gold, silver and platinum. Nowadays a designer feels free to use anything from aluminum to textiles to rubbish.

Megawati announces new PDI Perjuangan lineup SEMARANG (JP): Megawati Soekarnoputri, coming off her reelection as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), announced the lineup of the party's executive board. Megawati, who is the country's vice president, was also quick to warn party supporters they could not rely on her forever. "All party members must be ready to take over from me. Be an excellent cadre.

SE Asia to bid to host World Cup SINGAPORE (AFP): Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are making a joint bid to host the World Cup 2010 soccer championships, a report said on Saturday. Francis Loo, a council member of the ASEAN Football Federation, told the Straits Times that he would meet top officials of soccer's governing body, FIFA, in Geneva next week to present the joint Southeast Asian initiative.

Government optimistic about meeting IMF's new deadline JAKARTA (JP): The government said on Saturday it was confident it would meet the new deadline set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to complete key economic reforms. Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie said the government must complete the implementation of some 42 key economic measures as a prerequisite for the disbursement of US$400 million in bailout funds from the IMF.

Spotlight Photo A: Telkomsel JP/msa NEW SERVICE: PT Telkomsel's president Mulia Tambunan (left), Interactive Mall 2000's president Sianny Gunawan (center) and CommerceNet's president Soebiakto Leksokumoro sign a cooperation agreement for automatic refill of Simpati prepaid cards through the Internet. The deal was signed at Telkomsel's main office on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta.

Fit and proper? The government has a new policy obligating all prospective directors of state enterprises (BUMN) to undergo a fit and proper test. In addition to having managerial and technical skills, a prospective director of a BUMN is expected to possess integrity and a clean track record. In the era of reform, all BUMN directors must be able to conform with the new and prevailing conditions, which are different from the previous era.

After the riots, Lombok waits for tourists' return By Grace Segran MATARAM, Lombok (JP): Nothing much happens in Lombok. People are by and large content with their quality of life, going about their daily affairs as they have done for generations. Ten years ago hotels and tourism began to develop, bringing a bit of excitement, particularly to the western part of the island. It continued developing at a manageable pace, not too loud nor obtrusive.

U.S. interventionism goes back to the 1950s Feet to the Fire, CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957-1958; By Kenneth Conboy and James Morrison; Published by Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1999. 218 pages JAKARTA (JP): Anyone trying to figure out why many Indonesians still harbor suspicions against the U.S. government of meddling in their domestic affairs will likely find the answer by looking at events some 43 years ago.