Floods in Jakarta From Rakyat Merdeka Metro TV screened at 8 p.m. on Jan. 27 an interview by phone with Kwik Kian Gie, who commented on the floods affecting Jakarta. He said the floods were inseparable from corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) in the past. Jakarta's spatial layout has been encroached upon by developers' interests.

Chinese face modest 'Imlek' celebration The Jakarta Post Jakarta The ethnic Chinese population no longer faces political restrictions in celebrating Imlek (Chinese New Year), which falls on Feb. 12. However, plans for spectacular celebrations have this year been shelved due to the severe flooding that has hit Jakarta over the past two weeks. Ernawati Sugondo of the Chinese Society acknowledged on Saturday that organizers has been forced to postpone celebrations scheduled for Feb.

Riverbank squatters ignorant to environment destruction Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Living by the riverbanks is not a very good idea. People who live by the river even said they have always felt their lives were in danger with the arrival of the rainy season, fearing the floods could sweep their houses away while they were asleep.

Tonton grabs Asian title of Langkawi The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesian cyclist Tonton Susanto grabbed the Asian division title of the 2002 Tour de Langkawi which ended in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Tonton clocked a total of 30 hours 13 minutes and 40 seconds after 10 stages to earn him the blue Asian champion's jersey. This marks Tonton's second title after his first success in 1998 as reported by the race's official website www.tdl.com.my.

* Headlines: VP: Soeharto to blame for flooding 2 * Opinion: Questioning impunity in TNI rights abuses 4 * City: Floods trigger poverty crisis 6 * Archipelago: Workers go on strike for better pay 7 * National: Megawati should talk more to the press 8 * World: Row heats up over U.S. troops in Philippines 9 * Business: Sand export suspension effective Feb. 1511 * Features: Buyers want quality products not low prices15 * Sports: Europe gets more medals at Winter Olympics 20

No reason for GAM to exist: VP JAKARTA: Vice President Hamzah Haz said there was no reason for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to exist now as the government had paid special heed to the Nangroe Aceh Darussalam province. GAM was instead expected to develop Indonesia along with other Indonesian people, the vice president said at a function commemorating the 29th anniversary of the United Development Party (PPP) in Cirebon, West Java, on Sunday.

Insurers inundated with flood-related claims Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Realizing the pains inflicted by the recent flooding, some insurance companies have vowed to settle claims quickly. However, at least one person was disappointed at the rejection of his claim by an insurance firm which insisted properties were not covered against flooding despite an "all risk" clause in his policy.

Fuel hoarder arrested in Tegal TEGAL, Central Java: Police arrested a businessman for illegally selling fuel in the Central Java town of Tegal and confiscated at least 15 drums of diesel fuel and two drums of kerosene from him on Saturday. Tegal Police detectives chief Adj. Comr. Budi Samekto said that the businessman, 32-year old Darno, had been detained for questioning. He said Farno was arrested at his shop on Jl. Hanoman in Tegal for failing to show a business permit to sell fuel.

Govt policies remain unclear From Media Indonesia Flood disasters can technically be caused by high levels of rainfall, the wrong use of land, corrupt policies on development, negligence toward environmental conservation, etc. Yet, spiritually, everything in this world happens because of the wishes of the Almighty God. Unfortunately, this truism is often made use of to justify the cause of a tragedy.

New Zealand no.1 Nielsen clinches Davis Cup victory over Indonesia Agence France-Presse, Invercargill, New Zealand New Zealand No.1 Mark Nielsen unleashed an inspiring but nerve- racking performance to clinch New Zealand's 3-2 Davis Cup tennis tie win over Indonesia here Sunday. Nielsen beat the higher world ranked Indonesian No.1 Suwandi 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first reverse singles to seal the Asia- Oceania group one tie.

Banten urged to submit draft budget SERANG, Banten: The Banten legislative body called on the provincial administration to submit its draft budget to enable the new province to begin functioning. Banten's governor Djoko Munandar is scheduled in the near future to submit the proposed regional budget to the legislative council's plenary meeting for approval. Djoko said the rejection of the first Rp 800 billion draft budget by the minister of home affairs related to the induction of a new governor.

Ruling on GMO-based product labeling urged Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) expressed concern on Sunday over the government's tardy progress in issuing a regulation on the labeling of GMO-based products, even though such products were widely distributed and consumed in Indonesia.

Discovery of terror cells a blow to ASEAN's investment chances Bernice Han, Agence France-Presse, Singapore The discovery of alleged terrorist cells in Southeast Asia with links to Saudi militant Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network could damage regional efforts to recapture foreign investors' confidence, analysts say.

Workers go on strike for better pay in Palu Maxi Wolor, The Jakarta Post, Palu More than 300 workers of the furniture manufacturing company PT Leang Yang in the Central Sulawesi capital of Pulu went on strike on Saturday, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. The protesters threatened to continue striking until management for the factory, located in Pantoloan, agreed to pay better monthly salaries.

RP in 'never-say-die' bid to host Tyson-Lewis fight Agencies, Manila The Philippine government has launched a "never-say-die" bid to host a title match between controversial challenger Mike Tyson and reigning world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Manila's tourism secretary said Sunday. The fight was due to take place in Las Vegas on April 6 but was postponed after Tyson was refused a license for instigating a brawl in a pre-fight news conference.

Jakarta stock market may turn bearish, analysts say The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A technical correction, coupled with the absence of market incentives, will likely continue to drag the Composite Index down this week, signaling the end of the index's earlier upward trend. After closing lower last week at 436.98 points, compared to 454.28 points the week before, the Jakarta stock market is expected to remain bearish throughout the week, analysts predict.

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Vocational education must provide students with life skills A. Chaedar Alwasilah, Dean, Faculty of Language and Arts Education, Indonesian University of Education (UPI), Bandung, West Java The issue of teaching life skills has recently drawn the attention of educators. The Kompas daily (Jan.

False flood reports filed Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang Dozens of companies in the Periuk district of Tangerang have filed false reports on the recent flooding, claiming that their operations were severely affected in order to get tax compensation from the government, authorities said.