Bali resorts are heading for a more promising year Rita A.Widiadana The Jakarta Post Nusa Dua, Bali The word "resort" always conjures up a picture of a serene and integrated holiday site surrounded by white sandy beaches or a lush mountainous panorama where you can escape from your hectic life in the city and take a deep breath to rejuvenate your body and mind. And Bali offers dozens or maybe hundreds of such resorts across the island, from beach areas to secluded sites high up in the mountains.

Cross-border direct trade await legislation Indonesian migrants, who used to dominate roadside small-scale businesses, have gone, never to return. But the tragic parting does not mean the end of the world for the two neighbors as far as trade is concerned. East Timor can afford to lose the Indonesian traders but not their commodities. So, even though East Timorese traders have taken control over the local economy, they still offer the same thing: Indonesian- made goods and commodities.

Hamzah set to take leave, focus on PPP election drive The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Vice President Hamzah Haz sparked more controversy on Saturday by announcing his plan to take a leave of absence as the President's second-in-command during the election campaign in 2004 to focus on his United Development Party (PPP).

Free ID cards ready in five minutes TANGERANG: It sounds too good to be true. The Sangiang Jaya subdistrict office in Periuk district, Tangerang offers free ID cards that are ready in five minutes. Before the new system was implemented last month, many residents in the subdistrict with a population of 1,890, did not have any ID card. Even though the process is free, many people have so far voluntarily given between Rp 3,000 and Rp 5,000 as an expression of gratitude.

BRI 14040 offers quick and easy banking transactions by phone Executives, professionals, academics and businesspeople who are always on the move can now make banking transactions by phone anywhere and anytime through Bank BRI, Indonesia's only bank which has offices in almost every town across the country.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati The Jakarta Post Jakarta Testifying before a court is something most people would rather not do. Once named a witness, one must spend his or her precious time attending court sessions and be ready to answer the questions of the prosecutors, lawyers and the judges. Testifying against a defendant is also risky as the later might take revenge as the country has no laws or regulations on witness protection.

Awaiting the execution of Hotel Mulia The Hotel Mulia Senayan, which has been embroiled in a host of controversies since the first phase of its construction, has again come in to the limelight. This time it is about the verdict passed by the Central Jakarta district court, which rules that the hotel must be seized by the state if its management fails to pay about Rp 15 billion to the government as ordered by the Supreme Court.

Angie clinches French Open title Emmeline Moore, Agence France-Presse, Paris Wimbledon junior champion Angelique Widjaja, the top seed from Indonesia saw off a stiff challenge from American 11th seed Ashley Harkleroad before clinching the French Open junior girls' title here Sunday. And the first thing the 17-year-old from Bandung, West Java, did after winning her second Grand Slam crown was get on the phone immediately to parents Rico and Hanita and five brothers back home in Indonesia.

'Betawi' governor wanted JAKARTA: The Jakarta Betawi ethnic group consultative body say they will only support a governor candidate of Betawi origin. Chairman of the consultative body, Abdul Syukur, reiterated on Saturday that the next governor should be a Betawi. The body has not officially named its candidate, but Syukur said there were several people which could be nominated.

1. hamzah -- 4 x 12 Hamzah set to take pre-election campaign break 2. pemilu -- 2 x 22 Small parties want House drop electoral threshold 3. child -- 1 x 45 Children to win long-overdue health rights

Retreat islands in Singapore's backyard Fadli Contributor Batam The hotel business, including the resort hotels on Batam and the nearby island of Bintan, has been booming in the past three years despite a setback in the hotel industry in the other parts of the country. While many hotels are struggling to survive amid the downfall in the number of foreign tourists, the hotel industry on the two islands is doing quite well.

Police's choice of investigation questioned Yogita Tahilramani The Jakarta Post Jakarta Is crime the only factor that fuels police investigations in Indonesia? This question has often been asked by the general public over the past few years and remains relevant today, particularly with the emergence of two controversial criminal cases being investigated in the capital, which are both different in content and in the degree of crime.

Students must spend savings to sit exams Elementary schools in Bekasi have been forced to use students' savings to fund final exams because the local government has not paid the money it promised to. Yuyu Yulianti, principal of state elementary school SDN Jatibening XI, said the school had used the students' savings and the school's education fund for the organization of the six days of exams, which cost about Rp 400,000.

Hamzah set to take pre-election campaign holiday The Jakarta Post Jakarta Vice President Hamzah Haz sparked more controversy on Saturday by announcing his plan to take a leave of absence as the President's second-in-command during the election campaign in 2004 to focus on his United Development Party (PPP).

Hamzah's visit to Ambon will only serve his political interests: Thamrin Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The planned visit by Vice President Hamzah Haz to troubled Maluku province on Tuesday will benefit no one but the Vice President's personal political interests, analysts said on Sunday. "The trip is actually not necessary. It will only serve Hamzah's own political benefits," sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola of the University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post.

Hendarsyah Tarmizi The Jakarta Post Jakarta Hoping for big fortune from China's LNG imports China is set to announce this month whether Indonesia, Australia or Qatar will win the multi-billion dollar contract to supply the country with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). For Indonesia, winning the tender will further strengthen its leading role in the world's LNG market.

Nine more killed in Aceh BANDA ACEH, Aceh: At least nine people, including one soldier, were killed in renewed gunfights between troops and rebels, local military and police officers said on Sunday. Spokesman for Lhokseumawe military operations Maj. Zaenal Mutaqin said three rebels were shot dead in a clash with soldiers at Uleh Gle village in Idi Rayeuk subdistrict, East Aceh.

PALYJA to double investment to improve clean water supply PT PAM Lyonaise Jaya (PALYJA), a subsidiary of ONDEO Services of France, will more than double its investment to improve and expand the supply of clean water in western Jakarta.

Military, police hunt 25 Acehnese in Atambua Yemris Fointuna The Jakarta Post Kupang Local military intelligence has confirmed the presence of 25 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group in Atambua near the border with East Timor, an officer claimed on Saturday. East Nusa Tenggara's Wirasakti Military Command chief Col.

Rupiah to remain under pressure Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Following a two percent drop last week, the rupiah's roller- coaster performance against the U.S. dollar is expected to continue this week as the market would remain cautious, awaiting fresh news, currency analysts said.

Bank Rakyat Indonesia BRI 14040 offers quick and easy banking transactions by phone Executives, professionals, academics and businesspeople who are always on the move can now make banking transactions by phone anywhere and anytime through Bank BRI, Indonesia's only bank which has offices in almost every town across the country.

Papuan schools lack of teachers JAYAPURA, Papua: Many schools in remote areas of Irian Jaya have had to halt classes due to the lack of teachers as well as poor transportation for students to get to school, an activist said on Saturday. Alfon Ongge, a youth activist, blamed the administration for ignoring the people's right to education and neglecting the construction of transportation infrastructure, so badly needed for the development of remote areas.

Cerdas secures Hamzah chess championship Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Cerdas Barus won the Rp 45 million (US$5,000) Hamzah Haz Cup chess tournament after beating Hamdani Rudin in the final at the Tanah Abang Chess Center here on Sunday. Cerdas, an International Master (IM) title holder with an elo- rating of 2448, defeated Hamdani, a rated-2404 FIDE Master, 2.5- 1.5 to earn a Rp 6 million of cash prizes.

Dredging river estuaries can ease next year floods: Nedeco The Jakarta Post Jakarta An expert from the Netherlands Engineering Consultants (Nedeco) said that floods in the capital could be eased by up to 80 percent next year if the city administration dredged at least five of its river's estuaries. "The estuaries' sediment that has reached a depth of three meters significantly contributed to the flood in January and February.

Where to go in Jakarta: Monday, June 10, 2002 Exhibitions * Visual Arts Deep Blue, the Art and the Sea, National Museum, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12, Central Jakarta (Tel. 3868172), until June 17. * Video Art from Finland, Lontar Gallery, Jl. Utan Kayu 68H, East Jakarta (Tel. 8573388), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until June 12. * Painting by Riyani Lukita, Duta Fine Arts Foundation, Jl. Kemang Utara 55A, South Jakarta, until June 13.

President Megawati arrives in Rome Imanuddin The Jakarta Post Jakarta President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived in the Italian capital of Rome on Sunday morning (Sunday afternoon in Jakarta) on the first leg of her two-week European visit, a report said. The President and her entourage were welcomed at the Ciampino military airbase by the Indonesian Ambassador to Italy, Freddy Numberi, Antara news agency reported.

Hamzah's planned visit to Ambon blasted Muhammad Nafik The Jakarta Post Jakarta The planned visit by Vice President Hamzah Haz to troubled Maluku province on Tuesday will benefit no one but the Vice President's personal political interests, analysts said on Sunday. "The trip is actually not necessary. It will only serve Hamzah's own political benefits," sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola of the University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post.

Explosion outside disco stuns Jakarta Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After a slew of bombings in 2000 and 2001, Jakarta was rocked once again by an explosion early Sunday morning near the Eksotis discotheque in the Mangga Besar area of Central Jakarta. No fatalities were reported. The explosion left two men seriously injured with burns and shrapnel wounds.

Learning islet tourism the Maldives way Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta There is nothing unusual about the four-page brochure in which pictures of white-sand beaches with cheery tourists adorn the pages. "Maldives, the sunny side of life," says the slogan on a Maldives tourist promotion brochure printed under a Maldives logo. An archipelago of 1,190 little coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are tiny compared to Indonesia, which has 17,500 islands.

Antidrug campaign on in East Java SURABAYA: East Java Governor Imam Utomo has embarked on an anti-HIV/AIDS and drug campaign, declaring the month of June as "The Month of No-HIV or Drugs". Data issued by the East Java Health Office showed that people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the province had increased five-fold in the past three years, with an average of 14 new cases emerging every month.

Children to win long-overdue health rights Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Children, by nature, love to play, but tougher competition ahead has prompted their parents to overzealously enroll them into extensive extracurricular educational activities aimed at bolstering their academic performance. Not to mention those who are economically unfortunate, Indonesian children nowadays are often forced to use their time scraping around for additional income for the family.

Dredging rivers' estuaries is a must: Expert The Jakarta Post, Jakarta An expert from the Netherlands Engineering Consultants (Nedeco) said that floods in the capital could be eased by up to 80 percent next year if the city administration dredged at least five of its river's estuaries. "The estuaries' sediment that has reached a depth of three meters significantly contributed to the flood in January and February.