Tasting impressive Balinese coffee flavor Wahyuni Kamah, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali Indonesian coffee lovers are familiar with local coffees, such as Medan, Lampung and Toraja coffees. Still, Balinese coffee does not ring a bell despite its impressive taste. Only a few who cannot forget the taste of Balinese coffee keep coming back for more, getting what they need in a small specialized shop in the heart of Denpasar, on Jl. Gajah Mada.

Photo A PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk BRANTAS RIVER AGREEMENT: East Java Vice Governor Imam Supardi (left) and PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk Director A.A. Pranatadjaja (right) shake hands after signing a memorandum of understanding on the "Brantas Bersih Forum". The signing of the agreement at the Hilton Hotel, Bali, recently was witnessed by State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim (center).

On Surabaya incident Allow me to make a belated comment on the May 7 letter from David Jardine titled Historical records. In those "revolutionary days" perhaps only members of the fledgling army units, hastily formed, were aware of the basic rules of the humanitarian law, in a vague and rudimentary way. But what could one expect from those who had only minimal education, if any at all? Beside the regular army, there were also the rag-tag irregulars and common people who formed an angry crowd.

RI needs food security policy, experts say Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After years of increasing rice imports, Indonesia should now think of adopting a comprehensive policy so as to ensure food security and avoid a food crisis in the future, experts said on Wednesday. H.S.

Greed ruining Bali's beaches I Wayan Ananta Wijaya, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali Bali has always been associated with pristine beaches that have white sands and powerful waves that attract millions of visitors to the island. And for years, the scenic and panoramic views of Balinese beaches have been exploited for tourism purposes. The Balinese consider the sea as a holy place as it plays a crucial role in their lives, either through religion or culture.

Malaysia to ban imports of RI logs Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia plans to ban imports of logs from Indonesia, partly to protect its furniture industry from charges it uses illegally- felled timber, a government source said Wednesday. Primary Industries Minister Lim Keng Yaik proposed the ban at a weekly cabinet meeting Wednesday and would submit a working paper on the subject next week, a ministry source told AFP.

Indonesia's major donors see slow progress in poverty reduction Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia's major donors from the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) have emphasized that the country's progress in certain structural reform programs has been slow, resulting in reduced economic activity and investment, thus creating a slower rate of poverty reduction.

Police reluctantly acquisce to military authority in Maluku Yogita Tahilramani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Despite its objection, the National Police have quickly adjusted itself to the new structure of security forces in Maluku, which sees the Indonesian Military (TNI) in command. National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang said on Wednesday the corps had no choice but to adapt to the changing security conditions in the restive province. "Don't be mistaken...

Dorodjatun makes new promises to IMF as Cabinet cracks Dadan Wijaksana The Jakarta Post Jakarta Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and Finance Minister Boediono have made a new economic reform agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), despite signs that the Cabinet is cracking due to a disagreement on key economic policies sponsored by the fund.

Administrative discipline The end of the assistance agreement between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Indonesian government has raised controversy. The controversy indicates a shift in making a strategic decision in government. A monetary council, consisting of the finance minister, central bank governor, and industry and trade minister, had approved the Letter of Intent II on international financial aid before it was signed by former president Soeharto on Jan 15, 1998.

Mbeki asks Spain for easy ride ROME: South Africa's president has jokingly asked his Spanish counterpart to order the national soccer team to give South Africa an easy ride into the next round of the World Cup when they meet on Wednesday. In Rome to attend a World Food Summit, South African President Thabo Mbeki found himself sitting next to Prime Minister Jose Maria Maria Aznar during one of the meetings.

Police baffled by Poso bus explosion JAKARTA: The deadly bus explosion in the strife-torn district of Poso, Central Sulawesi last week has baffled police, who are unsure how the bomb was set off, National Police deputy spokesman Aritonang said on Wednesday. "Police forensic investigations found no signs of a timer, no detonator at the site so we conclude that the bomb was not operated by remote control or by timer," Aritonang said. "We ourselves are baffled.

SBI rate slides slightly JAKARTA: The weighted average interest rate on one-month SBI promissory notes slid slightly at the central bank's weekly auction Wednesday. The one-month SBI notes stood at 15.16 percent, down from 15.17 percent last week's auction, Bank Indonesia said. It was, however, higher than market expectations of around 15.07 percent. Bank Indonesia also said it accepted Rp 20.50 trillion (US$2.3 billion) in bids at the auction, or 93.02 percent of total bids.

Tourists yes... but environment first Dean Yates Reuters Selemadeg Kaja, Bali Staring at the terraced green rice fields that drop away into the distance, Putu Mahardika ponders how to tap the tourist trade on Indonesia's Bali island without harming his village's pristine environment.

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.

At least three envoy candidates disqualified Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta At least three ambassadorial candidates have been disqualified by legislators for their poor track record and lack of knowledge about the countries in which they were soon to be posted. The identities of the disqualified candidates, however, remain a secret.

Military agrees to quit politics by the year 2004 Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The move to remove the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police from politics by 2004 won backing from legislators on Wednesday, including those from the Indonesian Military/National Police faction in the House of Representatives (DPR). Military/police faction chairman Agus Widjojo said TNI and police leaders increasingly realized that the military should concentrate on its defense and security duties.

Match words with actions, experts tell Megawati Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Experts here praised on Wednesday President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Vatican, but also urged her to provide similar excellent leadership in dealing with domestic problems.

Nuriana tries to please legislators BANDUNG, West Java: In an apparent attempt to woo support from local legislators, West Java Governor Nuriana who will end his term soon, has proposed to build a new office for them. The building will be located near Bandung's Gedung Sate building on Jalan Diponegoro, and will cost some Rp 315 billion, Nuriana said on Wednesday. According to Nuriana, he had designated some 5,400 of the 25,000 square meters in total area for councillors' offices.

1. POLICE: 50 PT, 3 COLS, 2 X 18 Police ineffectual in war against crime 2. TOMMY: 40 PT, 5 COLS, 1 X 44 Woman admits harboring fugitive Tommy in her home 3. WASTE: 36 PT, 3 COLS, 1 X 30 Sewage dumped into Tangerang rivers 4. SPEAKERS: 36 PT, 4 COLS, 1 X 42 'Don't expect too much from the police'

Lifters forced to scrap Greece outing Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Lack of financial support from the National Sports Council (KONI) has resulted in a late cancellation of an already-planned trip to Greece by a weightlifting team. The national weightlifting body PABBSI had planned to send two athletes to Tofalos Kakousis, Greece, to take part in an international weightlifting tournament there as part of preparations for the 2002 Asian Games.

Sitor's poems evoke beauty Lie Hua, Contributor, Jakarta Sitor Situmorang has a lot to offer to Indonesian literature, particularly in terms of versification. He is most noted for the lyrical nature of his poems. Unlike Chairil Anwar, whose poems reflect his burning egotism, Sitor Situmorang is famous for the euphony of his verses despite, according to many critics, the existentialist philosophical content of these poems.

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.

Indofood sells most bonds offshore Dow Jones, Jakarta PT Indofood Sukses Makmur has sold most of its US$280 million five-year bonds to offshore investors, further signaling a return of foreign interest in high-yielding Indonesian assets. Lead underwriter Credit Suisse First Boston Corp. said Wednesday it received Tuesday orders for the Indonesian company's dollar-denominated bond totaling slightly over $400 million.

Residents complain of sewage disposal Multa Fidrus The Jakarta Post Tangerang When people call the environmental agency to pump out the contents of their septic tanks, many do not realize that the truck drivers dump the untreated sewage in canals and rivers crossing Tangerang city. This occurrence was witnessed by The Jakarta Post over the weekend when drivers from both Tangerang regency and municipal environmental agencies dumped raw sewage into the Sipon canal on Jl.

Police ineffectual in war against crime Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The police are the main agents in society assigned to ensure security, right? However, in the event that they are powerless to crack down on widespread crime, the public must be prepared to defend itself. Sooner or later, the public must prepare to protect itself, as the police unveiled on Wednesday that they were powerless to deal with the high number of crimes in the capital.

The 'Islam-nationalist' divide, one obstacle to progress Mochtar Buchori, Legislator, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Jakarta, mbuchori@indo.net.id In the Indonesian political psyche there seems to be a wall that firmly separates the "Islamic wing" from the "nationalist wing", the two traditional main pillars of the political system. The rivalry between these two political communities can at times be so bitter that they look at each other not only as rivals, but as adversaries.

Damar Harsanto The Jakarta Post Jakarta The police are the main agents in society assigned to ensure security, right ? However, in the event that they are powerless to crack down on widespread crime, the public must be prepared to defend itself. Sooner or later, the public must prepare to protect itself, as the police unveiled on Wednesday that they were powerless to deal with the high number of crimes in the capital.

Soldiers questioned over recent police post attack Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra The Military Police in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, are questioning three Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers for their alleged role in an attack on the Serbelawan Police subprecinct post on Monday night. Bukit Barisan Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Nurdin Sulistiyo said on Wednesday that Second Sgt. Tigor Marbun, First Sgt. Hotma Tunggul Samosir and Chief Sgt.