A momentum for peace Skeptics would be forgiven to conclude that President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to the conflict-ridden province of Aceh on Saturday achieved zilch. What did you expect from a six-hour visit to a province that has been ravaged by violence for more than three decades? Certainly, not miracles. Megawati's presence did not even bring respite. Two days before her arrival, Aceh was shocked by the brutal murder of Syiah Kuala University rector Dayan Dawood.

Land row delays Pulo Gebang bus terminal project JAKARTA (JP): A dispute over which land in Pulo Gebang to be used for the construction of a replacement for the already overcrowded Pulo Gadung bus terminal in East Jakarta should not delay the city administration's plan to start the development of the facility until next year, a city councillor said.

U.S. dollars BII style In 1997, the rupiah exchange rate was fluctuating against the U.S. dollar and many banks put their own regulations into effect to anticipate their customers saving or depositing U.S. dollars. At that time, BII promised its customers that the bank was the safest place to deposit U.S. dollars and that it did not collect miscellaneous fees for dollar accounts, a promise that lured many people, including myself.

PageMaker: Still alive and kicking but now transformed By Zatni Arbi JAKARTA (JP): Do you still remember PageMaker? Those of you out there who, at one time in the past, just like I did, thought that desktop publishing (DTP) would give you a ticket to the Hall of Fame must be very familiar with this name. You spent hours every day trying to master all the techniques and tricks for putting all the design elements on your page.

Reducing traffic jams From Koran Tempo The number of vehicles in Jakarta keeps increasing everyday resulting in more traffic jams in the capital city. To reduce traffic jams, the city administration has implemented the 3-in-1 system, which allows only cars with three or more passengers (including the driver) to pass along certain main streets in the capital city during peak hours. But this system is not of much help in reducing traffic congestion.

2. Stock ( 2 x 20 ) Stocks down for another week on Wall Street 3. Oil ( 2 x 21 ) RI oil output and price to decline: Minister 4. Job ( 2 x 32 ) U.S. unemployment rate increased to four-year high last month: Govt report 5. Credit ( 2 x 16 ) U.S. govt boosts farm credit to RI 6. Fed ( 2 x 32 ) U.S. likely to avoid recession, says San Francisco Federal Reserve chief 7. Belum1 ( 2 x 24 ) Japan's steel-makers cut sales, earnings forecasts 8. BP ( 1 x 27 ) BP pulls out of pipeline project JP/11/bp

Abandon military campaign: Acehnese By Ibnu Mat Noor BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Pleas for the government to abandon its military campaign in this wartorn province figured prominently in Saturday's closed-door meeting between Acehnese figures and visiting President Megawati Soekarnoputri, sources told The Jakarta Post. Meanwhile, response to the visit has been mixed, with one Free Aceh Movement (GAM) member saying it had only increased the frustration of Acehnese people.

Defense budget hike suspected to be support deal JAKARTA (JP): Political analysts have hailed the increase in the defense budget in the 2002 draft state budget amid rising speculation that the 18 percent hike was to gain support from the Indonesian Military (TNI) in maintaining stability. "The TNI (which is in charge of defense) is politically more influential than the police (in charge of security), and it carries more weight," political analyst Arbi Sanit told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Tangerang council approves 15 percent budget hike TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang City Council approved last week a 15 percent increase in the city's 2001 budget from a proposed Rp 217 billion (US$25.53 million) to Rp 261 billion. The increase was smaller than the 19.25 percent proposed by the municipal administration on Aug. 21. Tangerang Mayor H.M.

Business and regional autonomy Even before regional autonomy became a fact, fears had been expressed by the business community that regional governments would try to increase their revenues by issuing all kinds of tax rulings and regulations. These fears have now become the reality and consequently, last Wednesday, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) presented their complaints to President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Indonesia loses to Malaysia 2-1 KELANA JAYA, Malaysia (AP): A spectacular left-foot free kick from defender Irwan Fadzli sealed a 2-1 victory for Malaysia over Indonesia in a Southeast Asian Games Group B match Sunday. After unexpectedly going behind early in the second half, the Malaysians, who dominated the match, clawed their way back with two goals in the last 20 minutes, to the delight of the 20,000 spectators.

Minister to fight extortion by officials at airport JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on Saturday that Soekarno-Hatta Airport's Terminal III was teeming with corrupt officials who extorted money from Indonesian workers returning from overseas.