Over 100 companies from 14 countries participate Rikza Abdullah, Contributor, Jakarta The opening of an international exhibition and conference on information and communications technology (ICT), called the Techno Pre-Eminence (TPE) -- Connectivity Indonesia 2002, is very timely as the ICT market in Asia and the Pacific has shown signs of recovery in the second half of this year. The ICT market in the region, excluding Japan, is projected to expand by 13.5 percent to US$76 billion in 2002.

Stocks seen as flat this week A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Jakarta stock market is expected to move lower this week due to a combination of domestic and international factors, according to an analyst. "The stock market is expected to be flat to lower as the momentum to jack up the stock index is over," stock analyst Eddy S. Widjojo told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

JP/5/SCENE Women want legislative quota PADANG, West Sumatra: Activists for women's rights in West Sumatra are seeking a 30 percent quota for women in the legislative body to allow them to resolve problems facing women.

Orations on city buses From Kompas Every day I commute by bus from Pulo Gadung to Blok M. When the bus passes Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, I am always gripped with a strong feeling of fear and worry because when it gets dark, a group of three to five youngsters, claiming to be street children will get onto the bus and make speeches in a terrifying manner. One of them will say that rather than being a criminal, they prefer to be street singers.

Sumatra wildlife fight to survive Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau Wild animals in Sumatra are competing harder for natural resources with people seeking profits from forests and other natural resources, experts said last week. Worse yet, these wild animals are also hunted by unscrupulous profit seekers, endangering their existence, they said.

Guards want to join labor union JAKARTA: The Federation of Independent Workers Union (FSPM) protested on Friday a police circular which prohibits a security guard to join the workers union for fears of a conflict of interest. The circular, which was issued last month, rules that any violation carries sanctions, including removal and dismissal.

Aceh peace talks in Switzerland to hammer out details of cease-fire Lely T. Djuhari Associated Press Jakarta Peace talks between Aceh separatists and the Indonesian government slated for mid October in Switzerland will hammer out ways to end hostilities in their 25-year conflict, a rebel spokesman said Sunday.

The rights of citizens From Media Indonesia A few day ago I saw our President, Ibu Megawati, on TV and heard her saying seriously that there were Indonesian people, who, despite the fact they lived and earned their livings here, always talked ill about their own country abroad. She then suggested that these people, who are not proud of their country, find themselves another country to move to.

Thailand, Laos to sign labor accord THAILAND: Thailand and Laos have agreed to sign a labor accord in November to regulate thousands of Lao workers seeking jobs in Thailand, according to a media report on Sunday. The two countries will sign the accord in the sidelines of the annual ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai was cited by the Nation newspaper as saying.

Foreign engineering firms upbeat on RI's manufacturing sector Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta There is great optimism among foreign engineering companies that Indonesia's economy is moving toward recovery, which would bode well for their businesses here.

City police plan to decentralize services Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Starting on Tuesday, residents of South, East and Central Jakarta can extend their driver's licenses at police stations in their respective precincts following plans to decentralize services to the city's nine police precincts, a senior police officer said on Friday. "Considering complaints from the public, we'll start decentralizing our services in driver's license renewals next week to police precincts," Sr.

No fun for toy makers; government policies causing bankruptcies Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Some 60 local toy makers went bankrupt since the regional economic crisis hit the country in late 1997, while the remaining 40 are now struggling hard to survive, according to the Indonesian Toy Association (APMI).