SmartFM relaunched in Jakarta JAKARTA: Amid tight competition among local radios, SmartFM Network was relaunched on Wednesday as a general news broadcaster in Jakarta. Fachry Mohamad, the station's group chairman, said that the radio had already been operating on the 95.65 MHz frequency.

Li Peng meets East Java businesspeople SURABAYA: China's parliamentary speaker Li Peng met on Thursday with some 200 East Java businesspeople and leaders of the local Chinese community in Surabaya before ending his two-day stay here. During the meeting, the Chinese number two said that East Java had the potential to attract more Chinese investors. He said that China was currently taking steps to improve economic and trade cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

House summons ex-state secretaries JAKARTA: A team of legislators from House of Representatives Commission I overseeing the State Secretariat will question former state/minister secretaries and businesspeople over the construction of hotels and shopping malls in the Bung Karno sports complex.

Malaysia buys 40 percent of PT PGN The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Trans Asia Pipeline Co., a consortium led Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Bhd., has bought a stake in a unit of state-owned gas distribution and marketing company PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) for US$187.6 million.

Sutiyoso must work hard to improve his image Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo were elected as new governor and deputy governor of Jakarta for the 2002-2207 term amid strong protests on Wednesday. For Governor Sutiyoso, his reelection proves his success in drawing support from the City Council even though there was strong evidence that President Megawati Soekarnoputri was really behind his victory.

NGO alliance lashes out at WSSD action plan Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta An alliance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) expressed disappointment over the outcome of the recently concluded World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, saying it was too proindustry at the expense of the common people. The alliance urged the government not to implement the agreements reached at the summit immediately.

Govt plans raising floor price of rice, import tariff The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed to the Ministry of Finance a 15 percent hike in the floor price of unhusked rice to help rice farmers cope with rising production costs, interim minister M. Prakosa said on Thursday.

Dhaka underplays arsenic well water BANGLADESH: A government minister downplayed the threat of arsenic-tainted well water, though experts warn it could expose 57 million Bangladeshis - half the nation's population - to diseases such as cancer. "Arsenic contamination of water is not a serious problem," Finance Minister Saifur Rahman said in a speech late Wednesday. The ministry is tasked with disbursing money to fight what some experts have described as one of history's worst mass poisoning.

'I am disappointed by Sutiyoso's reelection' Governor Sutiyoso's reelection has sparked public controversy due to his unfavorable track record during his tenure. The Jakarta Post talked to some people on the street to find out what they thought about Sutiyoso. Paulus, 16, a second grader vocational school student at a noted private school in Pulo Raya, South Jakarta. He lives with his family in Ciledug, South Jakarta: I'm disappointed that Sutiyoso was reelected.

Ginandjar pleads not guilty JAKARTA: Former mining and energy minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita appeared on Thursday for questioning as the prime suspect in a fraudulent oil technical assistance contract. Ginandjar defied the charges, saying the project which he endorsed would have generated revenue and improved efficiency had it run according to the contract.

Govt, House hope for more transparency in TNI budget Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Pressures have mounted for the Indonesian Military to improve transparency in its spending following the government proposal to raise its defense budget for 2003.

* Headlines: Old problems plague ASEAN2 * National: Witness protection bill to benefit rights trials4 * Opinion:Multilateralism can guarantee global peace: Annan 6 * City: City Council quiet after gubernatorial election8 * Archipelago: Workers protest imported sugar9 * World: Prayers, new anti-terror pledge highlight UN day12 * Business: U.S. Fed says economic activity is slowing16 * Sports: Safin, Haas advance to quarterfinals20 * Features: Old playboy comedian repentant24

Free competition in power sector will begin in Batam, Java, Bali The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government will begin liberalizing the country's power sector in 2007, with Batam, Java and Bali expected to be the first areas to introduce free-market competition. "We hope (the liberalization) will start in 2007 at the latest," Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Thursday.