PLN workers flee to avoid possible attack in Banjar Yuliansyah, The Jakarta Post, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan Workers of state-owned electricity company PT PLN have left their office at Riam Kanan Dam, the site of a hydroelectric power plant in Banjar regency, South Kalimantan, as locals repeated threats to demolish the plant by January.

Bambang Nurbianto and T. Sima Gunawan The Jakarta Post Jakarta Jakarta is where all reforms begin as the city is home to critical observers, critical students and critical activists of non-governmental organizations. Unfortunately, the city's political system is the most undemocratic in the country. Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso is the most powerful governor. Unlike his counterparts in other provinces, Sutiyoso has the final say on policies from provincial up to subdistrict levels.

Defendants demand new judges JAKARTA: Two leaders of the Maluku Sovereignty Front (FKM), charged with treason against the state, refused on Monday to present their defense and instead demanded that the judges be replaced because they were unlawfully jailed. Robert B. Keytimu, the lawyer for the two leaders, Alex H. Manuputty and Semuel Waileruny, said the judges should have released their clients on Nov. 27, based on Criminal Code procedures.

JP/2/A02 Congregations cautious amid possible bomb threat The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Paramilitary and other civilian groups affiliated to religious, social and political organizations would join hundreds of thousands of police and military personnel to provide security on Christmas and New Year's Eve across the country, officials said Monday. At least 19 people were killed in a series of bomb attacks on churches during Christmas in 2000.

Politician launches haj book JAKARTA: Golkar legislator Baharuddin Aritonang launched his book titled Orang Batak Naik Haji (A Batak goes on the haj pilgrimage) at a modest ceremony here on Monday. The 216-page book recounts Aritonang's religious experience during his pilgrimage to Mecca and Medinah in February of this year. Speaking at a discussion at the book launch, Aritonang said the book encouraged readers to discuss various issues ranging from the national economy to sectarian conflicts.

Burned placenta nails mother TANGERANG: A 40-year-old mother who delivered a baby without anyone's assistance on the floor of her house in Tegal Murni village, Balaraja district, Tangerang, last Friday evening, was named a suspect in the murder of her own baby.

Once shady Jl. Barito becoming barren From Kompas The South Jakarta administration is building an office for the city parks agency in a green area of Jl. Barito II, Kramat Pela subdistrict, formerly known as Barito park. An artesian well is also under construction as part of the building.

No crying over spilt milk The sentiments of disappointment and disgrace of the Indonesian public resulting from the loss of the two islands Sipadan and Ligitan by virtue of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of Dec. 17, 2002, found terse expression in the title Licking our wounds of the editorial of The Jakarta Post, Dec.19. It cannot be denied that the vote of 16-1 marking the verdict of ICJ could hardly be tolerated in the mind of the Indonesian public.

Crush GAM if they betray The public was shocked to learn from the army chief of staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) had shot Acehnese and members of the Indonesian military. According to the Indonesian military, since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Indonesian government and GAM in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 9, GAM has violated the agreement 24 times.

Hildawati, a portrait of eminence Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta Warm applause welcomed Hildawati Soemantri at her retrospective exhibition at the Cemara-6 Gallery here on Dec. 17. Friends, admirers and VIPs from the art world came to pay homage to a person who has dedicated over 30 years to the education and development of art in this country. Indeed, Hilda must be accorded a place in the history of Indonesian modern art.

The rupiah exchange rate table, the rupiah-U.S. dollar graph and the Jakarta composite index will not appear on certain days of this week because Bank Indonesia will be closed on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 for the Christmas and New Year holidays, while the Jakarta Stock Exchange will be closed during the period Dec. 24 to Dec. 31. Editor

;JP;aps ANPAf..r.. Interbank-Foreign-Exchange JP/13/DOLLAR U.S Dollar Rates Dec.23 Latest %Chg Yen 119.84-89 -0.37 Euro* 1.0298-03 +0.24 Sterling* 1.5965-70 -0.37 Swiss franc 1.4148-51 -0.65 Canadian dollar 1.5483-93 -0.13 Australian dollar* 0.5621-26 -0.14 New Zealand dollar* 0.5164-69 +0.29 Deutsche mark 2.2150-75 0.00 Czech koruna 30.441-58 -0.09 Hungary forint 228.57-88 -0.42 Danish krone 7.2085-16 -0.23 Norwegian krone 7.0750-70 -0.20 Polish zloty 3.8640-85 -0.63 Russian ruble 31.860-70...

Photo cutline AP/Tatan Syuflana SECURITY AND BORDER ISSUES: Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto (left) shakes hands with Malaysian Minister of Defense Sri Mohammad Najib Razak at the end of the two countries' talks on the border here on Monday. The Malaysia- Indonesia General Border Committee agreed that the two countries would review security arrangements on the border to deal with the common threat of terrorism.

No paper In observance of Christmas, The Jakarta Post will not appear on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2002. The Post will resume publication on Thursday. We wish our Christian readers a Merry Christmas. -- Publisher

Bali bombsite monument From Bali Post I read with interest the article by Dr. Sumadi Kertonegoro about his idea of erecting a monument, Kala Cakra (the Wheel of Time), at Legian, Kuta, the site of the Bali bomb blasts, published in Bali Post on Nov. 24, 2002. I would like to make some comments on his concept. Sumadi's idea is based on what happened at Legian when the bomb blasts took place.

Damar Harsanto The Jakarta Post Jakarta City police won praise from the public for successfully enforcing the ban against firecrackers in Jakarta during the fasting month of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, allowing city residents to enjoy a peaceful, solemn celebration.

`Rp 4.8b from 2002 budget misused' Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Despite the allegations of rampant corruption in the city administration, the city audit agency has found that only some Rp 4.85 billion of the 2002 city budget was embezzled or otherwise misused. Jakarta Audit Agency director Hendarin Ono Soleh revealed the finding in a report presented at a discussion on Monday to Governor Sutiyoso.

Bantarto Bandoro Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly' Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta bandoro@csis.or.id The news on the verdict on the Dec. 17 of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the case of Sipadan and Ligitan between Indonesia and Malaysia was in the local and foreign mass media. The world court in The Hague ruled that two tiny resource-rich islands in the Sulawesi Sea belong to Malaysia, ending a longstanding dispute between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Theys murder trial to be in Surabaya SORONG, Papua: Seven Army special forces (Kopassus) soldiers, who are suspects in the murder of Papuan independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay, will be tried next month at the Surabaya military tribunal in East Java. Chief of military police Maj. Gen. Sulaiman A.B. said on Sunday that the probe into the murder of the Papuan leader had ended in October. He added that the dossiers on the seven suspects had been submitted to the military prosecutors in Surabaya.

Taiwan VP says she rejected RI's apology for botched presidential trip Associated Press, Taipei Vice President Annette Lu said on Monday that Indonesia had repeatedly apologized in private for a bungled attempt by the Taiwanese president to visit the Southeast Asian country last week. But the outspoken Lu said during a tea party for reporters that she didn't accept the apology because she wanted to preserve Taiwan's dignity and wait until Indonesia apologized in a proper way.

Air reservation system hurting Bali Rich Simons, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In an astonishing case of one rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel, an obsolete airline reservation system in the country could cost Bali millions of dollars over the next two weeks alone. Despite crisis-level hotel occupancy rates since Oct.

Local firms given protection against cheap imports Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Local manufacturers reeling under a massive influx of cheaper, imported products can now appeal to the government to raise the import duties on the products in question as part of a new government safeguard mechanism. The new policy is stipulated in a presidential decree signed by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Dec.

As was the case in 2001, this year we are happy to provide our loyal readers with a wide variety of yearend articles covering the main issues that have been dominating the life of the country for the past 12 months. The Jakarta Post hosted a two-day seminar involving 14 scholars from several fields of expertise at the Santika Hotel, Jakarta on Nov. 21 and 22, 2002, for advice on topics which should be presented.

JP/ / R&D decree Following discussion between state officials, President Megawati Soekarnoputri eventually decided to issue the "release and discharge" (R&D) decree for former bank owners deemed cooperative in settling their Bank Indonesia emergency loans (BLBI). The president will also issue a decree on the delegation of her authority to sign the R&D agreement.

Dealing with TB in children Dear Dr. Donya, We have had some bad news. It emerged based on the initiative of my wife, who had brought my daughter's stool to a laboratory. It turned out that my daughter had amoebae. On the same occasion, discussing the matter with the family doctor where we lived, we decided to make her take a PPD (skin test for tuberculosis). The result was positive. Afterwards, we consulted a pediatrician in Jakarta, who made her undergo two chest x-rays and a blood test.

Muslim groups to safeguard Christmas The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Paramilitary and other civilian groups affiliated to religious, social and political organizations would join hundreds of thousands of police and military personnel to provide security on Christmas and New Year's Eve across the country, officials said Monday. At least 19 people were killed in a series of bomb attacks on churches during Christmas in 2000.

Mob ravages Kampar regent's office The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Hundreds of angry protesters attacked the office of Kampar Regent Jefri Noer on Monday, protesting his intention to remain in office despite impeachment by the regency's legislative council (DPRD). They banged the windows and took Jefri's chair away to be destroyed. Office staff fled the violence, but later returned to work after the situation had calmed down.

1. Budget - 4x12 'Rp 4.8b from 2002 budget misused' 2. Jaksel - 1x 20 Mayor to get new office 3. Traffic - 2x 26 Flyover, underpass work slow, traffic jams continue 4. Raid- 1x 30 Police raid raises serious questions 5. Speak - 2x20 'I'm not worried about bomb threats at Xmas'

Stock prices on The Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on Dec.23,2002 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shares Close Change Trading Volume ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Alfindo Tbk 725 0 500 Adindo Foresta 50 0 0 AGIS Tbk 65 0 140,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 200 0 0 Alakasa Industrindo 90 0 0 Alfa Retailindo Tbk 800 0 0 Alter Abadi Tbk 10 0 0 Alumindo Light 155 0 0 Andhi Chandra 450 0 0...

Laskar Jundullah untouchable despite Makassar bombing Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi Shortly after two bombs exploded at a McDonald's restaurant and in front of the NV Hadji Kalla automobile showroom in Makassar on Dec. 5, 2002, the police launched raids on the radical Laskar Jundullah group and arrested some of its activists. As a result of the arrests, many people immediately assumed that Laskar Jundullah was behind the deadly explosions.

Govt OKs FBI involvement in Papua investigation Tiarma Siboro The Jakarta Post Jakarta The government said on Monday that it would allow U.S. federal agents to participate in the investigation of the Aug. 30 shooting at the PT Freeport Indonesia gold mine in Timika, Papua, which killed two American workers and one Indonesian.