Brawl brings spotlight on regional representatives faction Bambang Nurbianto and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The embarrassing boxing match on the floor of the People's Consultative Assembly on Thursday has rekindled the debate on whether the Regional Representatives Faction should be revived. The fight began as a result of some in the Assembly who wanted the faction to be officiated, but the demand was denied.

Landslide destroys 11 more houses Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Kebumen Continued landslides in the village of Seling, in Sadang district, claimed 11 more houses on Friday bringing the total of homes destroyed since Tuesday to 62. Last week 120 houses in the neighboring district of Ayah were destroyed by landslides. Parts of tens of other districts in the Kebumen, Banyumas and Cilacap regencies, in southern Central Java, were submerged by flood waters.

Ticket scalpers a t Gambir From Koran Tempo As a passenger, I would like to strongly complain to the railway authority about the train service, which makes passengers feel uncomfortable, and ticket scalpers making a huge profit from selling tickets at exorbitantly high prices. Passengers who have stood in line for a long time are disappointed when they hear that tickets have been sold out.

How and when to select a profession Heru Prasetyo, Managing Director, Accenture Indonesia Educational background often has nothing to do with one's career. A medical doctor was recently given an award for his achievement in developing a modern approach to public administration. An agricultural engineering graduate also achieved great success in developing and managing one of the best information technology higher education courses in Indonesia.

KONI official irritated by soccer row The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Polemics raised by the media over whether the national soccer team is eligible for the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea next year has angered a top official of the National Sports Council (KONI), who accused the media of indulging in its coverage of the issue. "How many times do I have to answer the same question?

Corporate Briefs The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency has raised US$1.68 million from the sale of its 43.2 percent stake in seaweed-flour producer PT Gumindo Perkasa Industri formerly owned by the Salim Group. The stake was sold to businessman Ridwan Suryadi, who is also a shareholder in Gumindo, the agency said in a statement on Friday.

Asian stablity worries overdone, economic problems real: Report Agence France-Presse, Singapore Worries about political instability in Asia in the aftermath of the global terrorism crisis have been overblown, but economic troubles are real and growing, a Standard Chartered Bank report said Friday. The events following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States have raised caution among investors worldwide, adding further burden to Asia's already weak economies, it said.

Timah, local govts seek to end illegal mining Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Publicly-listed state tin mining firm PT Timah and local governments on Bangka and Belitung islands are studying measures to end the illegal mining activities on the islands that have been troubling the firm for years and brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. Company spokesman Prasetyo B.

Monsanto helps E. Java farmers JAKARTA: Monsanto Fund has provided a grant of Rp 250 million (US$25,000) to help improve the skills of East Java farmers in Kediri. The director of non-government organization Utika Mandiri, St. Notobudhiharjo, who received the fund Wednesday, said it would be used for a farmers' empowerment project. The project will include, among other things, entrepreneurship training, micro-financing management, post-harvesting management and micro financing services.

Bombing of Afghanistan clouds Asian summit Agencies, Bandar Seri Begawan/Kuala Lumpur With Islam's holy month of Ramadhan looming, next week's summit of 13 leaders from Asia in the Muslim sultanate of Brunei may give more evidence of fracturing support for the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who will be joined by China, Japan and South Korea for a two-day summit on Monday, has been toward the rear in the rush to support Washington's cause.

Legal merger of banks expected this year: Official Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The legal merger of recapitalized banks may be completed by the end of this year, a government official said, signaling efforts to avoid further liquidation by forcing weak banks to meet this year's capital adequacy ratio (CAR) target on time. Minister for State Enterprises, Laksamana Sukardi said the government hoped to merge recapitalized banks as quickly as possible.

Singapore's politicians wrap up election campaign Agencies, Singapore Singapore politicians Friday wrapped up a heated election campaign with a last ditch effort to move away from intense personal attacks and defamation suits to bread and butter issues amid a severe recession.

Wanted: Partner for commission I Wayan Juniarta, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Bali The National Awakening Party (PKB) is considering an alliance with other political parties and non-governmental organizations to establish an independent constitutional commission. PKB Secretary General Muhaimin Iskandar said here on Friday said that an alliance would have to be formed in case the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) refused to set up the commission.

Five students wounded in protest KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Several people were injured when some 500 students clashed with police during a protest in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), opposing calls for the inclusion of the Jakarta Chapter in the Constitution. At least five students and some police officers sustained facial wounds, several of whom were taken to a nearby hospital for immediate medical treatment.

Sutiyoso sets conditions for city to buy central government bonds Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta City administration officials have no objection to purchasing central government bonds to help offset the 2002 state budget deficit in return for the handing over of several state assets to the city.

Row at MPR It's really embarrassing that some members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) were seen brawling in public. If we have such degraded members of the highest institution in this country, what can we expect from them? Before the scuffle, they were vying with one another to make interruptions as if they were little children who were just learning a new word, and they looked proud of it.

Japan to send 1,000 troops to E. Timor EAST TIMOR: Japan will send just under 1,000 troops to East Timor to join UN peacekeeping operations in March next year, a news report said on Friday. The government would announce plans to send a fact-finding mission to East Timor in mid-November ahead of dispatching Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers to the island, Jiji Press news agency said.

Pusat Perfilman Haji Usmar Ismail, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. 22, South Jakarta (Tel. 5268458); Asian Short Film Competition, 2:30 p.m., They Came to Pick Me Up, Promises, 5:30 p.m., Get Animated Program: Father and Daughter, 7:30 p.m., In July, 9:30 p.m. . Djakarta Theater, Thamrin, Central Jakarta (Tel. 3848944); White Balloon, 3 p.m., Amelia from Montmartre, 5:15 p.m., Mirror, 7:30 p.m., Faithless, 9:45 p.m. . TIM 1, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Central Jakarta (Tel.

Jambi Police have new patrol ship JAMBI: The Jambi Provincial Police have a new patrol boat that will be used to fight against the rampant smuggling in the province. Jambi Police chief Brig. Gen. Toto Soewali said the new boat would be deployed in the East Tanjung Jabung and West Tanjung Jabung regencies, which were high-risk areas for fuel and car smuggling.

Protests resume against air strikes on Afghanistan Ainur R. Sophiaan and Kartika Bagus, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Surakarta SURABAYA: Major protests against the U.S. strikes on Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 tragedy in New York and Washington took place again on Friday after several days of respite. Around 5,000 Muslims protested in Surabaya and hundreds of others in Surakarta, Central Java, demanding that the air strikes against Afghanistan be stopped.

Fear of less clout behind MPR squabble Ridwan Max Sijabat, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The shameful quarreling among lawmakers during the opening ceremony of the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly on Thursday reflected regional representatives' disappointment with the reluctance of major political parties to support the long-awaited and planned revival of the regional representative faction in the Assembly.

Erasmus Huis to show 'Oeroeg' JAKARTA (JP): Erasmus Huis will present films produced by Hans Hylkema, best-known in this country for his film entitled Oeroeg. The movie Oeroeg is open for public viewing on Saturday at the Erasmus Huis auditorium, on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, running from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Oeroeg is the name of an Indonesian boy, the son of a plantation foreman, who builds a close friendship with the son of the Dutch plantation owner.

Govt to relocate 1.3m refugees JAKARTA: The government has allocated Rp 1 trillion (US$95 million) to relocate some 1.3 million displaced people from refugee camps to their homelands or new areas to start a new life next year, Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah said on Friday. The 1.3 million refugees were spread over 19 provinces, including North Sumatra, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara, and Central and South Sulawesi, the minister explained.

AGO to summon Raudlatul Jannah executives Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is to summon the organizers of the Raudlatul Jannah Islamic Foundation in connection with the misappropriation of Rp 54.6 billion from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), an official said on Friday.

Jayapura Police seize W. Melanesian flag JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Local police seized on Thursday documents and a West Melanesian flag from a meeting of the West Melanesia Christian Democratic Party at the Hamadi Rawa Church in South Jayapura subdistrict. "We have arrested J.M. Paiki, who is believed to have organized the meeting. We are questioning him thoroughly," chief of the Jayapura Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Daud Sihombing, said here on Friday.

The future after FTA with China Next week's ASEAN summit may be another watershed in the development of the grouping as it is likely to endorse the proposal for a free trade arrangement (FTA) with China. This is the biggest economic initiative by ASEAN since the formation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) 10 years ago.

Andrean on the brink of winning world chess crown Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Andrean Susilodinata pulled himself closer to an unprecedented world chess title after chalking up a decisive win, his fourth in a row, in the penultimate round of the World Youth Championship in Oropesa del Mar, Spain, on Thursday.