President Abdurrahman again slams the press SALATIGA, Central Java (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid took another shot at the press on Saturday, saying numerous baseless reports and gossip were printed by the media. "I was recently upset upon hearing a report that I would resign in September. I never said anything about resigning. Where did the media get the statement from? I was very surprised," the President said during the Central Java and Yogyakarta Inter- Religious Community Forum.

Girls tennis team delay the winning streak JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's junior girls team is still far away from winning the world group final round of the NEC World Youth Cup in Hiroshima, Japan, after a 1-2 loss to South Korea in the second round of the Asia/Oceania zone's qualifying here Saturday. The defeat will likely put more pressure on the team, consisting of Novianti Warsono, Angelique Widjaja and Diana Nur Fatimah as they have to fight China in Sunday's final to win third place.

Glodok erupts after raids on pirated VCDs JAKARTA (JP): Rioting broke out in the capital's predominantly ethnic-Chinese business district of Glodok on Saturday morning after police raided street vendors selling pirated video compact discs (VCDs). At least four shops in the Harco Glodok electronic goods shopping center and several others along with two automobile showrooms on nearby Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk were set alight and vandalized.

The Communist By Manaf Maulana After 34 years of self-exile in a faraway province, Murtiono decided to go home to Central Java. His decision was not only based on his longing for his family, but also inspired by the new government policy on those who were allegedly involved in leftist activities before the abortive communist coup in 1965.

Guess What? Stephen J. Woodhouse Indonesian children have said good bye to Stephen J. Woodhouse, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) area representative for Indonesia and Malaysia who left for Geneva to take up his new post last Friday. "I feel very sad to leave Indonesia at this time of the year when millions of children are still suffering," commented Woodhouse during a farewell party with local journalists last weekend.

Art Agenda Painting Exhibition by ISOLA artists at Galeri TC, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 24 A, South Jakarta, phone 7194268, 7194270, 7194302, through May 20. ISOLA group consists of eleven painters who graduated from former Bandung Teachers' Training College (IKIP), now Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Among the artists are Budiman, Dadang MA, Enday Tarjo, Hardiman, Hidayat, Jono Suhihartono, Nana Banna, Nurhidayat, Oho Garha, Sri Soerti Samisari and Rudi St.Darma.

Photo expo -- a must-see for collectors, hobbyists By K. Basrie JAKARTA (JP): The one-month-old Cahya photo gallery at its new site in Kemang, South Jakarta, is currently packed with fallen trees, blossoming sakura (cherry flowers), tranquil jungles, bushes, windows, buildings, local artists and smiling children. But there is no noise in the 200-square-meter room, except the soothing tunes of a classical orchestra coming from the gallery's stereo system.

DJALIN Presents Wedding Exhibitions Djalin and PAGA are holding a major three-part wedding exhibition called, Wedding Colors of Indonesia 2000. The first part of the exhibition was held at Sahid Jaya Hotel, Jakarta, from April 26 to April 28 and had representations from Indonesia's western provinces.

Mahathir backs Abdullah KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Veteran Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday he had been in power long enough but refused to set a date for his retirement. He also gave full backing to his deputy premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take over. Mahathir told the annual meeting of his United Malays National Organization (UMNO) that "whether I am (party) president or not" he would support UMNO and its chief.

JAPFA, Enerpac lead Group A, B JAKARTA (JP): Favorite Japfa Chess Club (CC), which boasts four Grand Masters on its book, beat Semen Padang club 4-0 in the Group A first round match of the Indonesian Chess League 2000 in Surabaya on Saturday.

Spotlight Photo I: PMI JP/Berto RED CROSS: President of the Indonesian Red Cross Mar'ie Muhammad (right) hands over an award to Peter Haryadi, the winner of a design-a-poster competition. The Asia-Pacific wide competition, which took as its theme HIV/AIDS discrimination, was held this week to mark the 137th anniversary of the Red Cross.

Korea, Denmark to battle in decisive Thomas Cup By Primastuti Handayani KUALA LUMPUR (JP): South Korea and Denmark will be involved in a do-or-die match in the blue group round-robin in the Thomas Cup championships at the Putra Indoor Stadium on Sunday. As both teams have won their opening matches, Sunday's match will be a decisive one because whoever wins goes on to the semifinals. Danish coach Steen Pedersen hoped his singles could win all matches.

Newly formed Flavour Ensemble is lip-smacking good By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): The corridors of Jakarta's five-star hotels are once again reverberating with the sound of music. After the ghost-like silence that followed the country's recent economic and political troubles, happy days seem to be crawling back.

Jejen has her eyes on the horizon By Dewi Anggraeni MELBOURNE (JP): She comes across as a naturally happy young woman, welcoming and cheerful. But if you are looking for a beaming face emanating the pride of a recent personal achievement, you will still be looking. She keeps a relatively low profile. Even in this era of competitiveness, twenty years old Jejen Johari is no ordinary young woman.

Natural dyes and colors enrich Pekalongan Batik By Rita A.Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): Dudung Ali Syahbana, a batik maker from Pekalongan in Central Java's coastal area, smiled happily when a large number of guests admired and bought dozens of his exquisite hand-drawn silk and cotton batiks.

Seminar gets down to the facts on sex, AIDS and drugs By Hyginus Hardoyo JAKARTA (JP): What does someone with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) look like? The answers varied among hotel employees in a seminar at The Regent Jakarta last Monday. Some said they were skinny and covered with pimples on their faces, and others described them as pale, exhausted and ugly people who frequently missed work. An employee even raised his hand and jokingly pointed to his colleague sitting next to him.

Guess What? Djaduk Ferianto His numerous shows here and abroad do not necessarily make noted musician Djaduk Ferianto feel comfortable when starring in a big screen movie Petualangan Sherina (The Adventure of Sherina). He took his role in the movie by mistake, and was horrified when he was asked to perform a Tango dance. "I only know Jatilan or Reog (traditional) dances, not Tango. I only know Tango as food.

Toba group opposes Indorayon reopening JAKARTA (JP): The Lake Toba Heritage Foundation denounced the government on Saturday for allowing PT Inti Indorayon Utama (IIU) to resume its pulp making operation in North Sumatra. The foundation, grouping prominent public figures from the Lake Toba area, warned of chaos and security disruption in the area unless the government reversed its decision.

On local 'standards' or rather their absence JAKARTA (JP): To survive in beautiful Indonesia, there are a number of grim realities you have to watch out for. Being able to comprehend the standards, rules and social mores -- or lack thereof -- of some of the people is one of them. You are confronted with this feature the very moment you arrive in Indonesia and grab a taxi from the airport to your hotel. For the same price you can get either the very best or the very worst service.

Mother's Day: It's time to focus on maternal deaths By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): After the colorful plastic and cardboard homage is paid to mother and the party is declared over, what does not go away is the fact that every minute a woman dies somewhere around the globe during childbirth. In Indonesia approximately two women die every hour giving birth, which is comparable to one jumbo jet carrying 400 women crashing each week, leaving at least 1,600 children motherless every eight days.

Guess What? Iwan Fals Popular musician and singer Iwan Fals made a promise to himself that he will not break, no matter what. His promise is that he will not allow himself to be photographed inside his house or in his front yard. Previously, his promise caused difficulties for fans who wanted to have their pictures taken with him in his house in Leuwinanggung village in Cimanggis, Depok. But no longer, because the singer has set aside part of his three-hectare front yard for his fans.

PT Alga Jaya Raya and Traditional Wedding Attire An exhibition on traditional and neotraditional wedding attire by top Indonesian designers was held from April 26 to April 28 at the Sahid Jaya Hotel, Jakarta, and sponsored by PT Alga Jaya Raya. Simultaneously, during this exhibition, Wedding Colors of Indonesia 2000 -- the first of a three-part exhibition -- the company also launched its new product, the Alga Magnetic Bed.

RI loses to Danes for 1st time in Uber Cup By Primastuti Handayani KUALA LUMPUR (JP): As feared, Indonesia's Uber Cup team lost 1-4 to Denmark on Saturday in the pink group round-robin of the Uber Cup team championships, its first loss to the Danes in the event's history. First singles Lidya Djaelawidjaja entered the record books as being on the receiving end of the fastest Uber Cup defeat when she bowed out to Camilla Martin 3-11, 2-11 in only 15 minutes at the Putra Indoor Stadium here.

Ex-truck driver finds success with ceramic handicrafts By P.J. Leo JAKARTA (JP): His experiments in crafting dolphins and ashtrays from fiberglass inspired Maskuri, a 43-year-old native of Tegal, Central Java, to start his own handicraft business in the slum of Cipinang Besar Selatan, East Jakarta. In setting up the business in 1990, Maskuri had to quit his job as a truck driver transporting goods to various cities and a bus driver for Mayasari Bhakti.

Remembering at least once a year that mothers are special By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): Five-year-old Rena does not know why she loves her mother, she just does. "Very, very much," says the tiny tot. Asep, 19, a Sundanese from a poor rural family of seven, works as a house boy in a Jakarta home. His desire is to earn as much money as he can and to give it all to his mother in the hope that she does not have to toil from dawn to dusk.

Aceh defendants may get between 6 and 10 years in jail BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): State prosecutors demanded on Saturday prison terms of between six and 10 years for 24 soldiers and a civilian on trial for the killings at an Islamic boarding school in West Aceh last year. The stiffest sentence of 10 years in jail was sought for the civilian defendant, Taleb, alias Aman Suar, for his possession of a gun believed to have been used in the killings.

Kostrad members attack police HQ MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The provincial police headquarters was attacked by a group of men believed to be members of the Army's Strategic Army Reserves Command (Kostrad) on Saturday. No injuries were reported in the brief attack, and the only damages were to the guard post in front of the police headquarters compound. Witnesses said the attackers got off five military trucks, a Kijang and a Daihatsu Espass van, before vandalizing the guard post.

Sapardi still content to play with words By Chris Brummitt JAKARTA (JP): At the age of 17, Sapardi Djoko Damono left behind a childhood spent playing in the shadows cast by Surakarta's royal court and moved to a village on the outskirts of town. And became a poet. The reason was simple: "My childhood days were over and I had to replace them with something new. And that was writing," he says. More than 40 years later he is still writing.