No Paper In observance of New Year's Day, The Jakarta Post will not appear on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2003. The Post will resume publication on Thursday. We wish all our readers a Happy New Year. -- The Publisher

Despite Tiger Cup failure, Kolev likely to keep post Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Ivan Kolev, who failed to bring the Indonesian soccer team to victory in the Tiger Cup, has gained a moral boost from a top official of the country's soccer governing body, the PSSI. Indonesia lost to ten-man Thailand 6-4 in the final match at the Bung Karno stadium here on Sunday, which could have put an end to Kolev's partnership with the PSSI, as he himself had once signaled.

The Jakarta Post Jakarta Consumer confidence in the country significantly dropped in November following the Bali bombing, but the terrorist attack failed to impact consumers' shopping plans, according to a survey. According to the survey by the Danareksa Research Institute, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) dropped by 4.8 percent to 94.1 in response to the bombings in Bali and Manado on Oct.

Jakartans to welcome 2003 with street party, prayers Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta While the fear of terrorist attacks has not totally abated, Jakarta is expected to play host to a joyous New Year's Eve street party along Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, with hundreds of thousands people expected to attend.

Muslim leaders back calls for end to sharia struggle Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Respected Muslim leaders and scholars on Monday joined Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s latest call for an end to the campaigns for the enforcement of sharia, or Islamic law, in the world's largest Muslim country. "There is no need to press ahead with the struggle for sharia.

Mega told to focus on law, security in 2003 Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta President Megawati Soekarnoputri should focus next year's policies on improving law and security in the country, while her ministers should stay away from state funds as their parties prepare for the 2004 general elections, observers said on Monday. Political analyst Indria Samego said law and security needed to be at the top of the government's priority list for this year as well as next.

Rights court acquits military officer Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Three days after sentencing an Army officer to five years in jail but allowing him to walk free pending an appeal, an ad hoc human rights court acquitted on Monday a military officer of gross human rights violations in East Timor. Col. Yayat Sudrajat, former task force commander at the Dili Military Command, was found not guilty of failing to prevent an attack on the Suai Church in Liquica on April 6, 1999.

'Bajaj' cause traffic congestion From Warta Kota In my opinion, the traffic congestion around the Mayestic Market/Taman Puring in South Jakarta is attributable to the presence of bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicles). Many of these vehicles wait for passengers along the sidewalks, thus inconveniencing pedestrians. They also drive back and forth in front of the market, emitting thick smoke and worsening pollution in the area.