Mega must act for total reform From Rakyat Merdeka For the sake of the country and the nation, President Megawati Soekarnoputri must make a clean break with the New Order forces and carry out a total reform agenda. If she unites herself with the forces of the New Order, our country will go through a protracted disaster and she will continuously be criticized by the ordinary people.

Wash hands if exposed to toxics From Kompas Not only are some commercials on TV not edifying, they are also misleading to viewers. One such commercial concerns Antis antiseptic. We have been told since childhood to wash our hands before eating. Unfortunately, one Antis commercial shows us that it is enough for us to apply Antis to our hands before having a meal. This commercial can have a dangerous effect.

Sport is a great way to bring people together Philippa Docherty, Contributor, Jakarta It's a strange world we live in, where violence, prejudice and racism dominate society, but when an international sporting event occurs, cultural, racial and religious differences are put aside. Sport is a provocative way of bridging the gaps between people of one nation, and also of bringing together people from different nations to compete against one another.

Bangkok's Chinatown highlights Sino-Thai blend John Hail, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Bangkok Bangkok's Chinatown, like its Sino-Thai population, blends seemlessly into Thailand's bustling administrative and business capital. Garish red gold shops emblazoned with glittering Chinese characters line its narrow, traffic-choked streets and alleyways, flanked by herbal medicine and spice shops, jam-packed restaurants and Chinese temples bristling with joss sticks.

TV Program: Sunday, June 30, 2002 TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News 8:00 Quiz 8:30 Children's Program 10:30 Music 11:00 Maskum Show 12:30 p.m. Comedy 2:00 Children's Program 3:00 Documentary 3:30 Religious Teachings 4:00 Sports 6:00 News 7:30 Music: Dansa Yo Dansa 9:00 News 9:30 Variety Show 10:00 TV Drama TPI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News 7:00 Cartoon 8:30 Chinese Food 9:00 Entertainment News 10:00 TV Champions 11:00 TV Series 12:30 p.m.

North and South Korea clash at sea, four South Koreans reported killed Paul Shin, Associated Press, Seoul In the most serious border clash in three years, a North Korean navy boat with heavy-caliber weapons sank a South Korean patrol boat in the western sea on Saturday, the South Korean military said. At least four South Korean sailors died, 22 were wounded and one was missing. There was no immediate word on North Korean casualties.

Milo junior meet attracts eight countries The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Milo Junior Indonesia Open badminton championships, which will start next week in Surabaya, East Java, has attracted foreign players. Seven countries with a total of 30 players will add to the bulk of the local hopefuls for the 2002 event. The seven nations are Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Belgium, Sweden and Brunei Darussalam. Only Japan and Brunei Darussalam joined the 2001 event in Salatiga, Central Java.

Can we make prejudice a thing of the past? Jacinta Hannaford, Contributor, Jakarta I think we really need to take a close look at the problem of prejudice. Many people complain about others being racist or sexist, yet they have their own prejudices, perhaps without even realizing it. I have been subjected to various types of prejudice, as have lots of other people, including racism, sexism and conflicts of religion.

On the Shelves Indonesia Now and Beyond: The Indonesia Yearbook 2002; Edited by Taufik Darusman; Published by Andrew Tani & Co.; 227 pp; Rp 689,000 Indonesia often makes news in the world in relation to deaths, violence, conflicts, corruption, crime, terrorism and power plays, but a book featuring a compilation of articles by the country's foremost opinion leaders tells us more about its positive side.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, June 30, 2002 Exhibitions * Painting Struggle and Creation, Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kav. S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta (Tel. 5241069), until July 12. * Japanese Contemporary Kriya Art, the National Gallery, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur 14, Gambir, Central Jakarta (Tel. 34833954), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until July 12. * Painting Betawi dalam Lukisan by Sarnadi Adam, Galeri Milenium, Diamond Plaza, Block B-23, Jl. R.S. Fatmawati No. 15, South Jakarta (Tel.

Fire razes Taman Puring market Leo Wahyudi S., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Mamat looked dejectedly at the smoldering remains of his kiosk at Taman Puring market in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, after fire swept through the market in the wee hours on Saturday. "I spent all my cash of Rp 260 million on new stock on Friday," the local shoe trader, who hails from Serang, Banten province, said on Saturday morning.

Selling works of arts in Kemang area Grace Emilia , Contributor, Jakarta People would regard it strange if someone enrolled in the faculty of arts in the 1970s. But the trend is currently reversing as parents are trying hard to enroll their children in such schools. "A good piece of art is now seen as an investment which sometimes is even more valuable than gold," says Nyoman Nuarta, a Balinese artist who built the massive Garuda Wisnu Kencana sculpture in Bali. Nuarta has a point.

You start playing with fire when you smoke Alexandria Robinson, Contributor, Jakarta It is an everyday sight around Jakarta, teenagers nongkrong (hanging out) on a street corner, puffing away on cigarettes. Of course, smoking is not limited to teens in Jakarta. The World Health Organization estimates that 50,000 adolescents in Asia smoke daily. Most of us are familiar with the risks associated with smoking; respiratory problems, cancer and heart disease being just a few.

Hotel goes with the flow after flood woes Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta It was just past midnight on Saturday, Feb. 2, and most guests at The Regent in Kuningan, South Jakarta, had settled down for the night, wary of going out on the town after a week of heavy rain and with yet another downpour outside their windows. It was a prudent decision, for this was the big one. Incessant rain sparked massive flooding throughout the city, devastating many areas indiscriminately.

Batik painting: Success story from the past Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta For visitors, Yogyakarta is not only one of the country's ancient cities but also the center of batik painting. But its popularity as the city of batik is on the decline. Almost 10 years ago, galleries displaying batik paintings were found in almost every corner of the city. For visitors, buying a piece of hand-made batik was proof enough that they had visited the place. Times, however, have changed.

What we need is leadership -- FOR MONDAY'S EDITION ------------------------ Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo Former governor of National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Jakarta ------------------------ State Minister of National Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie has surprised many people when he strongly suggested that Indonesia should terminate its relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of 2002.

JAKARTA: A Bell 205 helicopter belonging to the Indonesian Military (TNI) carrying five servicemen went missing in Papua on Saturday morning and is feared to have crashed shortly after takeoff at 10:10 a.m. The helicopter took off from Timika and was on its way to Eranotali, the capital of Paniai regency. Twenty-five minutes after takeoff the air traffic control in Timika reported it had lost contact with the helicopter.

Give us a justice system The decrease of almost 60 percent in foreign direct investment approvals and 30 percent in licensed domestic investment projects in the first five months of this year provide further evidence of the worsening disadvantages of doing business in Indonesia.

Indonesian Septi caps double win at Thamrin tennis event Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Septi Nindya Yutami shrugged off the jitters to win the girls' singles competition at the Thamrin Cup International Junior Tennis Championships here on Saturday. She beat Chan Yung Jan of Chinese Taipei 6-4, 7-5 in the finals at the Hilton Hardcourts.

Oh! By Nurul Hadi It was stifling hot even though it was the rainy season, something I was no stranger to as a boarder. After buying three cigarettes on credit I sat on a bench beside the vendor's stall. Other boarders were walking to and fro to get some food from the sidewalk food sellers. Southerly winds from the coast of Parangtritis cooled down the evening.

The new accountability revolution in government -------------------------- Marc Robinson Technical Advisor Badan Pengawasan Keuangan dan Pembangunan (BPKP) Jakarta -------------------------- The first rule of business is to keep your customers happy. If you produce products which are poor quality or too expensive, you'll go out of business. If you produce products the customer doesn't want, you'll go bust even faster. But for government, it's been different.

RI needs a student party now! From Rakyat Merdeka Since the fall of the Old Order, the emergence of the New Order and the ousting of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur' Wahid, students have become manipulated by certain parties, purportedly for the establishment of a just and prosperous society. It is a pity these students continue to be used by certain parties at general elections or in efforts to bring down a government.

On decolonization of East Timor I would like to refer to the May 21 letter from Onghokham titled Decolonization of East Timor. It is surprising that the noted historian categorically described the integration of East Timor (1976-1999) as "colonization and imperialism". The facts provide a different picture. East Timor was the 27th province of Indonesia for 23 years, making the East Timorese Indonesian citizens during this time.

Corruptors bribe lawyers From Rakyat Merdeka Inconsistent and weak law enforcement has only triggered more corruption as legal practitioners and corruptors collude to ensure that the latter will be acquitted from corruption charges. In addition, our own laws have loopholes allowing legal agencies to engage in corruption when doing their jobs. Consider these points: * The laws are drafted by legislators, the majority of whom are corrupt and supporters of the New Order regime.

Media: Shaping our reality of crisis Lie Hua, Contributor, Jakarta Media - Militer - Politik Crisis Communication: Perspektif Indonesia dan Internasional (Media - Military - Politics Crisis Communication: Indonesian and International Perspective); Editors: Lukas S. Ispandriarno, Thomas Hanitzsch and Martin Loeffellholz; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Galang Press; Yogyakarta, 2002; viii + 358 pp The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

Get ready to give your muscles a load of shock therapy Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In those last few minutes before the BodyPump class began at the mybodygym health center in the JSX Tower in Central Jakarta, I could not help but smile. We were all gathered in a room, and in front of each of us was a Reebok step and barbells of different weights. I, as always, opted for the lightest.

Varieties of 'soto' to please all types of palates Claudine Frederik, Contributor, Jakarta One of the local delicacies that will never tire Indonesian tastebuds is Soto, a glorified consommi enriched with bits of meat, at least two types of onion and a slice of lemon. Soto was originally a dish from Java but, over the years this dish branched off in an assorted array of soto varieties, most of them tasty. Nowadays we have soto Betawi, soto Kudus, soto Madura, and so on.

Bilingual schooling a fantasy or reality? -------------------------- Simon Marcus Gower High School Principal Harapan Bangsa High School Tangerang, Banten --------------------------- At the time of year when schools open their doors to receive registrations of new or continuing students for the coming academic year, all kinds of marketing ploys are being utilized to attract the eye of prospective parents and secure those signatures to fill the classrooms.

Bali's galleries promote local artists on global stage Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali In Bali two different worlds coexist, Bali, the center of arts and culture and Bali, one of the world's foremost tourist destinations. It is obvious that the continuing construction of hotels, restaurants and other buildings has almost surpassed the development of facilities to foster the island's artistic endeavors.

Two die, 13 injured in road accident INDONESIA: Two people died and 13 were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine in the Puncak resort area in Tugu Selatan village, Cisarua subdistrict, Bogor, West Java. An official at the Pulmonary Disease Hospital in Cisarua identified on Saturday the two fatalities as Samsuddin, 52, and Dede, 38. He said the hospital was treating 13 people who suffered minor and serious injuries. First Insp.

Two die, 13 hurt in road accident INDONESIA: Two people died and 13 were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine in the Puncak resort area in Tugu Selatan village, Cisarua subdistrict, Bogor, West Java. An official at the Pulmonary Disease Hospital in Cisarua identified on Saturday the two fatalities as Samsuddin, 52, and Dede, 38. He said the hospital was treating 13 people who suffered minor and serious injuries. First Insp.

Citibank clarifies I refer to A. Jakubowski's letter, Citibank's service (The Jakarta Post, June 6), and Pieter's letter, Citibank again (June 10). We have contacted the above customers and have resolved the problems satisfactorily. We would like to assure our customers that we will continue to provide services to their satisfaction. DITTA AMAHORSEYA Corporate Affairs Head Citibank, Jakarta

2002 World Press Photo: Looking back with anger and joy K. Basrie, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A cute face of a one-year-old Afghan boy is lying on a white cloth. His eyes, decorated with adorable eyelashes and well- shaped eyebrows are closed, but he's not sleeping nor even dreaming of entering a wonderland. His little lips curve into a peaceful smile, as if he's both happy and somber for his short journey.