Chinese-Indonesians want their role recognized Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The struggle of Chinese-Indonesians to revive their national identity will succeed only if the country acknowledges their contributions in development and gives them full rein to develop any sector, including politics, a seminar concluded on Saturday.

PDI-P gears up for 2004 elections JAKARTA: Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri asked party cadres on Saturday to strive to win the 2004 elections. Speaking during a breaking of the fast gathering at her private residence in Kebagusan, South Jakarta, Megawati asked the party members to consolidate due to the limited time left to prepare for the elections.

ASEAN needs collective leadership Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, Jakarta, korpur@yahoo.com For many people, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is more like a remnant of its past glory, especially after the regional financial crisis of 1997, as a result of which its strongest advocate, Indonesian president Soeharto, fell from power in 1998. Some richer countries have even started bullying the group, and the international media often describes ASEAN as past history.

Bali to be priority in Virgin Blue's international expansion Associated Press, Canberra Budget carrier Virgin Blue will make the troubled holiday island of Bali a priority destination when it begins a major expansion from Australian domestic routes into international services soon, Virgin boss Richard Branson said Sunday.

Antiterrorism bill should not be retroactive: Official Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The antiterrorism bill the government submitted to the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday does not leave any room for the adoption of the retroactive principle, a government official said Sunday. Director of law and legislation at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Abdul Gani Abdullah said that unlike the current government regulations in lieu of law No.

Eliminating terrorism From Koran Tempo Indonesians are suffering from a multidimensional crisis. While they are still gripped by the protracted economic and political crisis, the bomb blast in Bali on Oct. 12 has added to their plight. The image of Indonesia has been really tarnished in the international community as the bomb blast claimed hundreds of lives, mostly foreigners'. Unfortunately, government officials and politicians differ in opinion about terrorism in Indonesia.

Parking operators unaware of new law Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Parking operators said Saturday they were not aware of a new city bylaw which requires them to pay up to 20 percent of their total income to the city administration. The Jakarta City Council passed the bylaw last Thursday, doubling the current tax rate.

Weak vs strong intelligence The Bali blasts have been followed by much criticism of Indonesia's intelligence capabilities. Recently, The Jakarta Post published a number of articles, e.g. Controlling our intelligence (Oct. 29, p. 6), which establish the tragedy as proof of the country's weak intelligence agency. When reading enough of these condemnations, one would think the security officials do so little, they probably operate food stalls on the side because they are so bored.