A day in the life of a Taman Lawang transvestite Yeyen, 27, has been working as a prostitute in the well-known pick up area of Taman Lawang, Central Jakarta, and in other Asian cities, for over 10 years. Born in Palembang, South Sumatra, her goal is to eventually open a hair salon and undergo a sex change operation. Yeyen lives alone in Menteng Atas, South Jakarta. She spoke to The Jakarta Post's William Furney. "I live in a boarding house and wake up at about 12 p.m. most days.

S. Koreans attack U.S. forces on waste SEOUL (Reuters): About 1,500 South Korean workers and students protested on Saturday against the dumping of chemicals by U.S. forces into a major Seoul river. "Apologize for the shameful act," shouted the demonstrators in front of a U.S. Army Garrison in Yongsan, downtown Seoul. "Those who are responsible should be punished!" The marchers briefly clashed with anti-riot police, who tried to prevent them from moving to the garrison's main gate.

Where to go in Jakarta: Exhibitions * Painting Exhibition Rampogan by Sri Warso Wahono, at Galeri Cipta II, Ismail Marzuki Cultural Center, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta (Phone: 3154087), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., until July 23. * Painting Exhibition: Lukisan Indonesia Satu Abad, at One Fine Art Galeri, Jl. Panjang 46, West Jakarta (Phone: 5321267, 5321268), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until August 8. * Painting Exhibition: Paysages De France by John Van Der Sterren, at CCF - French Cultural Center, Jl.

Transvestites run down Germans KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Two Malaysian transvestites have been detained for driving their car into three Germans who refused to have sex with them, a report said Saturday. The suspects, aged 37 and 47, approached the foreigners visiting the northern Penang state late Wednesday and offered them sex for 100 ringgit (US$26 dollars), according to The Sun.

Legendary musician Bubi Chen a true devotee of jazz By Mehru Jaffer JAKARTA (JP): The euphoria over independence from the Dutch and the Japanese was still in the air when ethnic Chinese were asked to take on Indonesian names. Soon the language and practice of Chinese religion and festivities were also prohibited in the process of instantly trying to naturalize the country's ethnic Chinese minority.

'War' continues in Maluku capital AMBON, Maluku (JP): Gunfights continued in the Maluku provincial capital of Ambon on Saturday, forcing residents to stay at home for fear of being shot. "Sounds of gunfire and grenade and bomb explosions have been heard since 7 a.m. It is like a war in the Middle East or something. Thick smoke is billowing out here and there. We cannot see anything farther than 20 meters," a reporter based in Ambon said on Saturday.

Taufik hopes to play in Indonesia Open JAKARTA (JP): Defending champion of Sanyo Indonesia Open Taufik Hidayat has voiced hope that he will being able to compete in next week's tournament despite a back injury. Speaking prior to a fans' gathering at Segitiga Atrium in Senen, Central Jakarta, on Saturday, Taufik said his fate would be decided on Monday by orthopedic specialist Dr. Chaehab and the official doctor of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) Michael Triangto. "Dr.

Local animated movies may replace bedtime tales By Kafil Yamin BANDUNG (JP): Indonesian children are missing something before they head off to dreamland: Bedtime stories, told by their parents or relatives. Indonesia has abundant tales to tell, such as Si Kancil (The Deer), Gajah dan Semut (The Elephant and the Ant) or Malin Kundang. Unfortunately, today's parents have less time to tell the stories, and their children prefer to watch television or movies.

'The X-Files' thrills its fans with sci-fi speculation By Sri Ramadani JAKARTA (JP): Do you believe in Extra-Terrestrial (ET)? That human beings live side by side with other creatures in the universe? Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, both agents of America's Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), really believe there is a world outside the earth that cannot be explained by rational thought.

Enjoying a relaxing Sunday in Jakarta Come Sunday and the rich and fancy pack their bags for a game of golf perhaps, away in a heavenly resort, perhaps? The humble masses, however, flock to Senayan stadium to kick ball for a few hours. Others just walk or bicycle along Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin and in the Monas area, normally busy areas that are mercifully without traffic on Sunday mornings.

Sunaryo offers fresh abstract art By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): When you enter Moom Gallery, you will encounter a wall that directs you toward a narrow hall to the left. At the end of the hall, steps lead to the upper floors of the shop-house in which the gallery is housed. The small gallery appears simple, modest, and even modern. It seems to be a perfect setting to feature Edi Sunaryo's paintings. Edi Sunaryo of Yogyakarta, the decorative artist? Not Sunaryo of Bandung, the abstract artist?

Creative cleverness graces the catwalk By Danielle Bray JAKARTA (JP): Modern, Expressive, tasteful and funky describe the array of fashions showcased at Plaza Senayan recently. The graduating classes at ESMOD, Jakarta's leading fashion design school, presented examples of their creativity, hard work and exotic vision at their Fashion Festival 2000.

All Indonesian final in Thailand Open men's singles JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is ensured a title in the three-star Thailand Open in Bangkok after its men's singles shuttlers managed to create an all-Indonesian final for Sunday, between Hendrawan and Budi Santoso. Indonesia also has a chance of collecting another title in the men's doubles as Sigit Budiarto and Halim Heryanto clinched a ticket to the final.

RI's haze shrouded Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP): Smoke from Indonesian forest fires shrouded much of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, forcing many residents to stay indoors. Other parts of the country have experienced very poor air quality over the past several days, health officials said.

Jakarta International Kite Festival: Flying for peace By Charlie Stevens JAKARTA (JP): If you passed through the area around the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta last weekend, and you happened to glance up into the gray Jakarta sky, you would have noticed a swarm of strangely shaped, brightly colored objects swooping and diving or simply hovering around the top of the famous monument. The final invasion, you may have thought, as all your suspicions were suddenly confirmed.

RI women's doubles to Circuit's final JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian women's pair of Irawati Moerid Iskandar and Wukirasih Sawondari outclassed the Japanese duo of Sachie Umehara and Etsuko Yamada 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday to go the final of the US$10,000 Extra Joss Women's Circuit 3 tennis championships.

Derawan Island: Where divers' dreams come alive Text and photos by P.J. Leo DERAWAN ISLAND, East Kalimantan (JP): Waves slowly ripple on to a white sandy beach. Schools of small fishes in brilliant colors are clearly visible gliding to their own tune, while occasionally green turtles (chelonia mydas) leisurely break the surface, adding to the attractions of the underwater ecotourism around Derawan Island.

What's happening to Bahasa Indonesia these days? JAKARTA (JP): One of the things that makes me proud of being Indonesian is Bahasa Indonesia, the national language of this country. I'm proud of the fact that we had our own national language long before our Independence Day, something that even America, the land of high technology, cannot claim.

Welcome to the world of Humania's 'adult contemporary' By Chris Brummit JAKARTA (JP): Humania reckon their sound has elements of jungle, reggae, jazz, pop, dangdut, "retro techno" and "ambience sound". Of late, almost as if they are running out of genres, they've introduced their own, "adult contemporary". With this mix, an intriguing I Like Monday night at the Hard Rock Cafe looked on the cards. The hour-and-a-half performance started well.

The Bissu are more than men dressed in women's clothes Text by Mehru Jaffer, photos by P.J. Leo JAKARTA (JP): In ancient, precolonial times when god was neither one nor male, when women actively participated in the economic realm and had control over their earnings, virginity was not considered as precious as gold dust, adultery was not worthy of note, both women and men were chieftains and, above all, many women were custodians of the spiritual domain.

Burhanuddin new BI deputy chief JAKARTA (JP): Bank Indonesia director of foreign affairs Burhanuddin Abdullah has been appointed by House of Representatives Commission IX for banking as a new deputy governor of the central bank. Out of the 39 legislators that participated in the selection, which ended close to midnight on Friday, 22 voted for Burhanuddin, 16 for the only other contender, Bank Indonesia director of banking supervision Maulana Ibrahim, and one abstained.

Pramoedya cherishes the simple life By I. Christianto JAKARTA (JP): To be a modest farmer in a rural area where life is far from being hectic has been a dream for the country's most internationally acclaimed writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. He has been cultivating another suited field, harvesting valuable reading material, which is edible for his fans and culture. "As a child, I wanted to be a farmer, a modest one, perhaps owning a tractor.

Action on art forgeries I would like to respond to the article on art forgery written by Putu Wirata in the June 29 issue of The Jakarta Post. I come from an artist's family -- my father was the late Sudjana Kerton who had a studio and gallery in Bandung.

Art Agenda Painting Exhibition Rampogan by Sri Warso Wahono, at Galeri Cipta II, Ismail Marzuki Cultural Center, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta; Phone: 3154087; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., through July 23. Painter Sri Warso Wahono is obsessed with the country's present situation. He expresses his feelings through his latest works displayed in his single exhibition called Rampogan, banditry. Violence, corruption, riots have occurred almost everyday in the last few years.

Ananda starts in 22th position at F3000 JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian young racer Ananda Mikola managed to enter the seventh qualifying round of the F3000 championships at A-1 Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria, on Saturday. Ananda will start in the 22nd position. Ananda started in the 26th position in the first qualifier after clocking one minute and 41.771 seconds. He improved his time in the second qualifying round with 1:36.312.