Band of protesters demands casinos for Jakarta, not islands Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Around 250 fierce-looking protesters from Metro Watch, an organization allegedly backed by certain powerful underworld gambling businessmen, besieged Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's residence at midday on Saturday to protest his call to build casinos in the Seribu Islands. However, a staff member at Sutiyoso's residence on Jl. Untung Suropati said the governor was not at home.

Troops kill 10 rebels in Aceh INDONESIA: Ten separatist rebels have been killed in the latest violence in Aceh province, the military said on Saturday. Troops killed the 10 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in three separate clashes at Tapaktuan in South Aceh district on Friday, Aceh military spokesman Major Zaenal Muttaqin said. Guns and ammunition were seized from the rebels, he said.

Hope springs eternal for jaded ol' Jl. Jaksa Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta Less like a gracious old dame fallen on hard times than a raunchy old hussy gone past her use-by date, Jl. Jaksa has been looking decidedly frayed around the edges of late.

Paris Club gives RI $5.4b in debt relief Reuters, Paris The Paris Club of creditor countries rewarded Indonesia's economic and legal reforms on Friday with a debt rescheduling deal vital to the nation's fiscal and overall stability. An official statement from the grouping said the deal covered both principal and interest on US$5.4 billion of a total $7.5 billion in foreign debt falling due from April 1, 2002 to December 31, 2003.

Tips for a trip to Anak Krakatau Getting there: There are several alternative ways of getting there. However, we chose to go first to Carita Beach by bus before sailing to the island by motorboat. It's about two hours' drive from Jakarta to Carita, and three hours more on the boat. With Adventure Indonesia, the cost starts at Rp 700,000 per person for the three-day trip. It covers accommodation, food and transportation.

Fitness fits and starts: Sticking with the program The Jakarta Post, Jakarta LifeSpa consultant Brian Bildt calls it "the rhythm method of girth control". He is joking, but serial fitness failures -- people who start a program but quickly give it up due to one of a litany of excuses -- is a serious matter. Failing to stick with a program comes at a high price, not only in the loss of the investment in a program but also the potential health problems down the line.

Tropical Gardens: A jungle setting in your own backyard Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The beauty of tropical plants never loses its charms and it is among the most popular concepts brought home to adorn residential gardens. When adopted for gardens, the tropical concept offers low- maintenance natural attractiveness that highlights its wildness and exoticness, all nicely blended on a piece of land.

Public grows more open to on-screen sex Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta Moviegoers may still recall the public outcry after the release of action/horror flick Pembalasan Ratu Pantai Selatan (The Vengeance of South Coast Queen), back in 1987. The movie, which was a rip-off of James Cameron's Terminator, was considered too raunchy and outright indecent by many. The most condemned scene of the movie was when a kris supposedly was "born" from a woman's vagina.

Anak Krakatau: Getting into the spirit of adventure Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Sertung Island, Lampung It was not a classy resort this time. No fancy hotel, no comfortable room, no hot water, no king-size bed. In fact, no bed at all. We were going on an adventure! The sky was our roof, the ground was our bed and we dined on coconuts. The real adventure that I was on was the Krakatau Camp and Trek at the invitation of Adventure Indonesia, a travel agent specializing in adventure trips.

Portuguese ambassador Gomes feeling right at home Mehru Jaffer, Contributor, Jakarta Portuguese ambassador Ana Gomes has lived and worked in some of the most exciting cities in the world -- London, New York and Tokyo. But the posting that will remain engraved in her heart forever is Jakarta, the mother of four grownup children says. Gomes' husband is posted at the moment in Brazil and the former lawyer finds all this intercontinental communication with her family complicated but manageable.

Select your type of detoxification Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Mother Nature has regained popularity among Indonesians, particularly with those who are health conscious. Despite its novelty, the body purification program called detoxification, or detox, in the form of cleansing diets and treatments, has become another choice to those who wish to improve their well-being.

Tropical storm Bonnie headed Jakarta's way Meteorological experts warned that an extraordinarily large amount of precipitation and strong winds may pound Jakarta within the next three days as tropical storm Bonnie makes its way northward in the eastern Indian Ocean from an area near East Nusa Tenggara province. Paulus Agus Winarso, a senior expert from the Geophysics and Meteorology Agency (BMG), said that Bonnie was a result of a low pressure trough in the tropical areas of Indian Ocean.

Confidence counts for director Rudi Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta There are at least two things you should keep in mind if you meet director Rudi Soedjarwo, whose latest film Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's Up With Cinta?) has turned out to be a major hit here. First, pay attention to the conversation.

On the record Artist: Sheila on 7. Album: 07 Des (Sony Music Indonesia) Listening to this album is kind of a relief. Before its release, skeptics doubted the Yogyakarta-based band would maintain their "one-million-copies sold" rating. Would their ability to produce catchy songs decline? Were they just a flash in the pan? We'll have to see about the eventual record sales but, judging from the material from this third album, it is most likely that it will happen.

TV Program: Sunday, April 14, 2002 TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News 7:30 Sports 8:30 Children's Program 9:00 Music 10:00 Children's Program 12:30 p.m. Comedy 1:00 Sports 4:30 Performance 6:00 News 7:00 Comedy 7:30 Music: Dansa Yo Dansa 9:00 News 9:30 Comic 10:00 Music: Rock and Round 12:30 a.m. Puppet Show TPI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News 7:00 Cartoon 8:00 Home Sweet Home 8:30 Chinese Food 9:00 Entertainment News 10:00 Boxing 12:30 p.m.

Silence descends on Bali on Hindu holy day I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar Following another year of busy daily activity, Bali, the country's most popular tourist destination, turned eerily silent and peaceful during the observance of the Day of Silence (Nyepi) on Saturday, also a national holiday.

SE Asian sports officials select sports for SEAG Associated Press, Hanoi Sports officials from the 10 Southeast Asian countries have agreed unanimously on 21 events to be included in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Vietnam in 2003, state-controlled media reported Saturday.

Alternative medicine into the mainstream Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The growing popularity of alternative medicine can be attributed in part to an underlying distrust in what conventional medicine here has to offer. It also has something to do with our cultural beliefs in mysticism and the supernatural. Many people, even those caught up in a thoroughly modern lifestyle in urban Jakarta, have come to believe in the claims of alternative medical practitioners.

Why can't we spare a thought for others? The series of articles that appeared in The Jakarta Post this past week about our reluctance to queue were interesting to read, particularly after my own experience of living abroad for many years. When I returned home, I was mildly shocked to notice one day that dozens of people ignored the line at the post office. After a minute or so, I remembered that this is part of our culture.

Do-it-yourself for someone special Personalized presents -- mementos from the heart Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta For many people, a gift is more than meets the eye. The idea and the work behind giving someone the best present possible deserves appreciation. If you are of this opinion, you may want to try making your own presents. The blend of hard work, thought and, of course, love makes handmade gifts something truly special.

Matori favors putting off amendments Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil expressed wariness on Saturday over the ongoing constitutional amendments and urged legislators to postpone the process due to the potentially divisive and unsettling debate it was igniting. During a visit to the Jagasatru religious boarding school here, Matori told reporters that the current debate could be politically destabilizing and spark a wider conflict.

On the Shelf World Food INDONESIA; By Patrick Wooton, photographs by Jerry Alexander; Published by Lonely Planet, 2002; Pb 272 pages; US$13.99 If you are thinking of going on a diet, hold your horses. Lonely Planet has just brought out a surreptitiously seductive culinary teaser to undermine your resolve.

Helping out others brings its own rewards Monique Natalia, Contributor, Jakarta During February and March it was an everyday sight to see young people hauling boxes and soliciting donations at traffic lights to help Jakarta's flood victims. Unfortunately, this kind of "social work" done by young Indonesians on a regular basis is a rarity. It seems it takes a disaster for most young people to rally round a cause. Some kids said that it is not that they don't care what is going on around them.

Steve Lawler: Testing dance music's boundaries Joseph Mangga, Contributor, Jakarta England's Steve Lawler -- a Global Underground DJ artist, a true turntable virtuoso, and the undisputed master of ultra- spacey, percussive Tribal House -- played at the end of March to a capacity crowd of over 3,000 people crammed into every shadowy nook and cranny that Stadium in West Jakarta had to offer.

Bandung designers: Not content to be a fashion also-ran Muara Bagdja, Contributor, Bandung Bandung offers more in the style stakes than its famous Cihampelas jeans, factory outlets crowded with Jakarta weekend visitors or Cibaduyud leather footwear. Without much fuss, the city's fashion designers are working to make their names known.