A spa helps you boosts inner beauty By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): "To be pampered like one there is no need for you to be born a princess," says Ida as she emerges from a local spa glowing like the full moon on a midsummer's night. A modern day Javanese who spends long hours at her public relations office, the thought of working out at a fitness center seldom inspires her. But with many health clubs in Jakarta converting their premises into spas, she feels better coaxed into visiting one.

Illegal loggers Correction: Operasi Wibawa was conducted by the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations in cooperation with the Indonesian Military, not with the National Police as mentioned last Sunday on this page. We regret the error. -- Editor

Acehnese artist tells of region's pain By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): Is there room for artistic creativity in war- torn Aceh? That is one of the questions that came to mind when I learned about the works of Mahdi Abdullah, an artist who works and lives in Aceh. Next Monday, Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi), a nongovernment environmental organization, will organize a fund raising event for Aceh refugees, to be held at the Graha Niaga.

IT skills in demand Information technology is changing the world, including crisis-plagued Indonesia. The problem is the dearth of skilled workers in the country who know their way around the web. The Jakarta Post contributor Rudy Madanir looks at the hunt for workers with Net value, including those who went abroad. JAKARTA (JP): Most people find themselves in a bind when it comes to job hunting, especially as the opportunities in Indonesia are few and far between.

Living in Jakarta's crime-ridden jungle JAKARTA (JP): It was an early morning call which jolted me from my slumber. "Wake up! This is not Indonesia, this is America," said a familiar voice from the past. It was W.W. Walker from Birmingham, Alabama, my sponsor from my first period of study in the United States 10 years ago. Our conversation went on and on. "OK, then, if you are telling me the truth that you are not in jail, I won't worry, bye," he said finally.

Get to know the human side of Xanana Gusmao To resist is to win! The Autobiography of Xanana Gusmao with selected letters & speeches Edited by Sarah Niner Published by Aurora Books, Richmond, Victoria, in association with David Lovell Publishing, Ringwood, Victoria, 2000.

New Indonesian TV stations: To be or not to be By Antariksawan Jusuf JAKARTA (JP): On the Indonesian television landscape, the talk of the town is whether the five new free television licensees are ever going to hit the air at all. If yes, the next question is whether they will survive in the competitive market? The government last year granted five new free-tv licenses to Trans TV, DVN TV, PR TV, Global TV and Metro TV to add to the five commercial stations already in operation.

TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. Morning News 7:00 Health and Fresh 8:00 Children's Program 9:30 Variety Show 10:00 Music 11:00 Film 12:00 p.m. TV Drama 1:00 TV Drama 2:30 Teen Program 3:00 Sports 4:30 Religious Teachings 5:00 Tourism Program 5:30 Sports 6:00 Music 7:00 Evening News 7:30 Sports 8:00 Music 9:00 World News 9:30 Culture Program 10:30 Music Program 2 4:30 p.m. Music 5:30 Culture Program 6:30 Documentary 7:00 Evening News 7:30 Music 8:30 TV Drama TPI 5:30 a.m.

'Bazaar Indonesia' hits newsstands JAKARTA (JP): Internationally renowned Harper's Bazaar has launched Bazaar Indonesia, its 13th international edition for women who are "already up there" in their personal and professional lives. New York editor in chief Kate Betts said the magazine's target audience was a whole new generation which loves fashion and makes it part of its daily life. President of Hearst Magazines International George J. Green put it another way: "We provide an escape".

PAS to keep Islamic name KUALA TERENGGANU, Malaysia (Reuters): Malaysia's conservative Islamic party on Saturday vowed to resist any government effort to strip the word Islam from its name as it grappled with widening its appeal to non-Moslems. Delegates attending the opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) convention in Kuala Terengganu, 450 km (270 miles) east of Kuala Lumpur, said the word was synonymous with the party's Islamic ideology.

Health club manners need some toning By Aida Greenbury JAKARTA (JP): I checked my watch again for the 14th time. Seemingly unaware of the involuntary "ready for war" expression across my face, the guy was completely ignoring me. I couldn't believe it. He had successfully monopolized the treadmill for exactly 40 minutes. At the front part of the machine there is a huge sign that reads: "Please respect other guests.

Agenda Theater Performance The Ghost Train presented by The Jakarta Post at Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta, on June 5 and June 6, at 7.45 p.m. A group of passengers are forced to spend a night at a waiting room in Fal Vale, a desolate station near Cornwall, England, after a brash young man pulls the emergency brake cord simply because he wants to retrieve his hat which has been blown by the wind.

A day with Garuda pilot Ida Fiqriah Of the 612 pilots at national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Ida Fiqriah, 23, is one of two women, and the youngest flying the fleet of Boeing 737-300, -400 and -500 aircraft. A native of Jakarta, she lives in Petukangan Utara, South Jakarta, with her parents, two younger sisters and one brother. JAKARTA (JP): "When I wake in the morning, the first thought that enters my mind is one of gratitude and I thank God that I am still alive.

Guess What? Reza Artamevia Adriana Eka Suci Pop singer Reza Artamevia Adriana Eka Suci will soon have a new status. Not that she's divorcing her sinetron actor husband Adjie Masaid, but shortly, she will be a mother. Reza, who is 14 weeks pregnant, and her husband have already prepared names for their coming baby. A girl will be named Zahwa, with Arsyi for a boy. The good news was shared during her latest show at the Hard Rock Cafe's I Like Monday program, even though she arrived one hour late.

IMF to release $372m loan to RI JAKARTA (JP): The International Monetary Fund approved in Washington on Friday the disbursement of a US$372 million loan to support economic reform program in Indonesia. The decision by the IMF's 24-member executive board came after a review of the country's three year economic program to meet IMF-imposed economic conditions. "Executive Directors welcomed Indonesia's recent progress in implementing important fiscal and structural reform measures.

Spotlight Photo C: Manulife JP/msa POINTING OUT: PT Manulife Asset Management Indonesia (from left to right) director Imam Rasyidi, managing director Chris Bendl, president commissioner Philip H. Smith and commissioner Adi Purnomo talk about the company's performance. At a meeting on May 30 at Shangri-La Jakarta, the company announced it would donate humanitarian aid to victims of natural disasters in Southeast Sulawesi.

Little Tokyo at Hotel Menara Peninsula Hotel Menara Peninsula is opening a new eatery in order to complete its facilities and services for guests. Supported by a good demand from its guests, the management feels it is very important to add quality facilities to the hotel. Subsequently, Menara will open a Japanese restaurant called Little Tokyo. The hotel currently operates two restaurants: Kafe Coleman and Rumpi Lounge.

Sriyanto's diversity shows in gallery By Mehru Jahfer JAKARTA (JP): It is hard to neatly characterize Sriyanto for the man escapes any definition. He looks neither like a banker nor a painter, but he is both. He studied law but has worked for nearly three decades at a bank. He has been painting for 40 years but without ever attending art school.

Substitute for exit tax From Kompas I have often read reports about go-betweens in paying the exit tax -- the Rp 1 million tax for people going abroad. Those middlemen offer their services to get an exit tax certificate for a price lower than the official one. It happens not only at Sukarno-Hatta Airport but also at Batam Port. Since the collection of the tax is open to manipulation, it is better to abolish it and substitute it with another tax.

KL police suspect RI link to Aceh leader's murder KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian police are seriously viewing the involvement of criminal syndicates with Indonesian links in Thursday's execution style killing of Acehnese separatist movement leader Teuku Don Zulfahri, a news report said Saturday.

Clean up your act, PT KAI We all know PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI) is beset by criticism about its sliding safety record as the number of collisions and crashes mount. Still, apart from setting straight the missed signals and stopping the fatal accidents, PT KAI also needs to do something to clean up the entertainment offered during the journeys, particularly on the Bandung-Jakarta route. On a 9 a.m.

Draft political resolution adopted at Papuan Congress JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya (JP): The Papuan Congress has officially adopted a draft political resolution that affirms the province's determination to separate from Indonesia. The five-point statement, approved by the congress' political affairs committee on Saturday, states that West Papua has been an independent state since Dec. 1, 1961, when Irian Jaya separatist leaders declared the territory's independence from the Netherlands.

Security worries intensify after bomb threat on expat JAKARTA (JP): One day after finding a suspicious package in a West Jakarta church, city police were called on Friday night by a foreigner living in Cilandak, South Jakarta, who said he had received a bomb threat earlier the same afternoon. Chief of Cilandak Police Subprecinct Maj. Nurhayati said on Saturday that Alistair Lang, a British citizen living on Jl. H.

Colonial heritage embellishes Majapahit Hotel in Surabaya By Mehru Jaffer SURABAYA (JP): If you want to continue from where the colonial powers left off you might want to visit Hotel Majapahit in Surabaya. The hotel is a haunting reminder that makes you secretly grateful, for a few fleeting moments, to the colonial powers for coming by.

Rattan craft provides good life for Central Java villagers By Ali Budiman SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): It is an interesting phenomenon that certain villages in Central Java make particular handicrafts. Some specialize in gamelan instruments for example, some leather puppets, while others make guitars or rattan products. The livelihood of the villagers depends on the handicraft itself, or at least on some aspects of it, like its transportation or marketing.