ASEAN urged to fight HIV/AIDS pandemic Ati Nurbaiti and Rita A. Widiadana, Sanur, Bali HIV/AIDS activists and experts have called on governments grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to make a strong commitment to combat the spread of the condition, and also urged them to stop playing down the seriousness of this complex issue.

Indonesia plans to boost promotion in Middle East to attract more visitors Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The State Ministry of Tourism and Culture is planning to boost tourism to lure more visitors from Middle East countries as a growing number of people there shift their holiday destinations from western countries gripped by the fear of terrorism, a top official at the ministry said. Chairman of the Indonesian Culture and Tourism Board (ICBT) Setyanto P.

APA takes human rights, democracy as its agenda Rita A. Widiadana and Ati Nurbaiti, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali The second ASEAN People's Assembly (APA) ended here on Sunday, coming up with recommendations on five key issues: human rights and democracy, gender, HIV/AIDS and global media. Assembly organizing committee chairman Hadi Susastro said the recommendations would be submitted to the upcoming ASEAN Summit in November for consideration.

Transfer pricing and inspection of imports Vincent Lingga, Senior Editor, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Businesspeople may be apprehensive about the sweeping allegation by a senior tax official last week that about 3,400 or 70 percent of registered foreign corporate taxpayers in Indonesia, which did not pay income tax last year because they lost money, were suspected of unlawful transfer pricing practices.

Jakarta and KL need better communication Ong Hock Chuan, Technical Advisor, Maverick, Strategic PR Counsel, Jakarta Vice-President Hamzah Haz had a point when he said that more effective communication between Indonesia and Malaysia would help mend the rift that has opened up between the two neighbors because of the illegal Indonesian workers issue.

Three Garuda passengers injured in turbulence: Three passengers of a Garuda Indonesia flight from Frankfurt, Germany bound for the resort island of Bali were hospitalized in Singapore Sunday after they were injured in unexpected turbulence, Garuda spokesman Pujo Broto told AFP.

* Headlines: Plan to revoke visa-free facility queried 2 * National: TNI chief chided over election remark 4 * Archipelago: Bribery mars Riau debate: Sources 5 * Opinion: The role of Islam in fighting terrorism 6 * City: Councillors bicker over voting procedure 8 * Sports:RI assured one gold in Indonesia Open 10 * World: Arroyo to ask MPs to tone down row with KL 11 * Business: Govt mulls cutting luxury tax on cars 13 * Features: Afif proud of his handmade batik20

Human tragedy looms in Nunukan Fitri Wulandari and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Nunukan, East Kalimantan If the central government does not step in quickly, a human disaster might occur in the squalid migrant workers' camps in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, after 66 people died due to lack of food, clean water and proper sanitation. More and more illegal workers are arriving in this tiny island of 40,000 people.