Fine continental, fusion fare at Warna by Pernique Bill Blade, Contributor, Jakarta If you happen to take a trip down the rather salubrious drag that is Jl. Kemang Raya, it could come as something of a surprise to you (if you didn't know better, that is), that the country happens to be in the grip of one of its worst recessions since the Dutch packed up their kit-bags more than half a century ago.

Politicians queried over backing for PT QSAR Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Amid public demand for moral accountability, politicians have raised eyebrows for apparent moves to slow legal proceedings against PT Qurnia Subur Alam Raya (QSAR), a profit sharing agribusiness company which collapsed recently.

World oil summit long on pledges to better protect the environment Bill Cormier, Associated Press, Rio de Janeiro The world's oil producers met here Monday for an industry summit aimed at cleaning up their image as enemies of the environment. More than 3,000 delegates from 59 oil producing or consuming nations opened the 17th World Petroleum Congress, amid pledges to safeguard the environment, seek cleaner-burning fuels and reduce the gases blamed for global warming.

Boost for Kyoto after Russia, China, Canada vow support Richard Ingham, Agence France-Presse, Johannesburg, South Africa The troubled UN pact on global warming got a big boost at the Earth Summit here on Tuesday when Russia followed Canada in promising it would ratify the Kyoto Protocol soon, and Japan and China spelt out their support. Ratification by Russia will mean that the climate change pact will take effect, despite U.S. opposition to it.

Visas for tourists The government would gain virtually nothing by sharply cutting the number of countries entitled to Indonesia's free visa-on- entry policy. Such a bold measure would instead further hurt the tourism industry which has been debilitated by security problems in several provinces.

Govt allows mining to proceed in protected forests A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has agreed to allow mining companies to operate in areas now categorized as protected forests, a decision that has drawn strong protests from environmental groups. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday that the decision was taken in a bid to boost investment and increase economic growth.

RP files charges against RI suspect PHILIPPINES: Police have filed charges of illegal explosives possession against a Malaysian and an Indonesian linked to bombings two years ago that killed 22 people in the Philippine capital, a state prosecutor said on Tuesday. The two men - Malaysian Faiz Bin Abu Bakar Bafana and Indonesian Riduan Isamudin - are said to be members of the Southeast Asian religious group Jemaah Islamiyah, which allegedly plotted to attack Western targets in Singapore last year.

JP/3/Discourse End inaction of Indonesian government on migrant issue Prompt settlement of the current migrant worker problem is possible as long as it is not treated as a political commodity, says anthropologist M. Arif Nasution who has conducted research on migrant workers. Soon to be installed as professor at North Sumatra University, he spoke to The Jakarta Post's correspondent Apriadi Gunawan in Medan.

Crime is all around From Warta Kota Crime is everywhere now: murder, robbery, theft, fraud, corruption, etc. Everybody knows that neither religious teachings nor legal norms condone crime. Although Indonesia is a law-based state, the relevant authorities still cannot eradicate crime once and for all. Although many criminals have been arrested and incarcerated, many are being groomed to become hardcore criminals.

TV Program: Wednesday, September 4, 2002 .TB.30" 1.00" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News 8:30 Music 9:00 Technology 9:30 Music 11:00 News 11:30 Music 12:00 p.m. News 1:00 Talk Show 2:00 News 2:30 Documentary 3:00 Children's Program 3:30 Cartoon 4:30 Music 5:00 News 5:30 Children's Program 6:00 News 7:00 Talk Show 8:00 Music 9:00 News 9:30 Quiz 11:00 Talk Show 12:00 a.m News TPI 5:30 a.m. Religious Teachings 7:00 Quiz 8:00 Music 9:00 Indian Film 12:00 p.m.

A nation without a real leader Sunday is normally a relaxing day in my life because I can wake up late and enjoy my coffee in the morning without worrying about traffic jams, which, during the week, become the order of the day. But last Sunday was somewhat different. As I read the Post on Sept. 1, my eyes caught the headline 64 workers, children die in Nunukan. I was so sad and choked with emotion as I read the article.

RI's ignored heritage Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Staff Writer, Jakarta, korpur@yahoo.com While enjoying a cup of coffee on Tuesday morning, you might have read the horrifying front page reports of Indonesian newspapers. Kompas reported that some Indonesian mothers who were expelled as illegal workers from Malaysia, decided to sell their babies for prices reportedly from Rp 300,000 (US$35) to Rp 1.5 million in Nunukan, East Kalimantan, for their own survival.

Nunukan: Town strained to the limit by returnees John Haba, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jakarta, habanet52@hotmail.com As a newly established regency in 2000, Nunukan, formerly a district of Bulungan regency in East Kalimantan, has increased its role both as a transit point for people from other provinces, and as a site for border crossing between Nunukan and Tawau to purchase goods in the neighboring country.

End government inaction on migrant issue Prompt settlement of the migrant worker problem is possible as long as it is not treated as a political commodity, says anthropologist M. Arif Nasution who has studied migrant workers. Soon to be installed as professor at North Sumatra University, he spoke to The Jakarta Post's correspondent Apriadi Gunawan in Medan. An excerpt of the interview follows: Question: What were the significant results of your research?

Overseas trip amid sorrow President Megawati Soekarnoputri is again on an overseas trip. This is the president's eighth foreign trip, which will take her to South Africa, Algeria, Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia and Egypt. Megawati has been in power only for about one year but she has already visited more than 20 countries. The New Indonesia Association estimated that Megawati has spent about Rp205 billion for those trips.

Election law must promote accountability of legislators Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Political and legal experts urged legislators on Tuesday to adopt an electoral system that would promote accountability of the future members of the House of Representatives (DPR). The experts emphasized that the proposed revision to Law No.3/1999 on elections should enable voters to elect trustworthy representatives.

Medicinal plants. 'jamu' real or myth? Bambang Kiranadi, Contributor, Bkiranadi@centrin.net.id Experts have estimated that over 25 percent of the prescriptions in the U.S. contain active ingredients from plants. In Indonesia, medicinal plants have been widely used to remedy some diseases. Unfortunately, the efficacy of some plants and herbs have not been documented.

SIA upgrades maintenance facility Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Singapore To reinstate its existence as a leading regional aircraft maintenance company, SIA Engineering Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is set to upgrade its maintenance hangar to accommodate wide body aircraft and to provide faster repair service. The company will add an additional two airplane hangars from the current three with a total investment around US$10 million.

Further protests against party expulsion mechanism Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) joined on Tuesday opposition against the plan to revive political parties' power to expel dissenting members from legislative bodies, arguing the move would pave the way for authoritarianism by the parties.

JP/4/C00 Archeologists unearth seven menhir at excavation site Yuli Tri Suwarni The Jakarta Post Bandung A group of archeologists from the Bandung Archeologists Council and the Serang Historical Heritage Conservation Office have unearthed seven menhir, which symbolize men, at a temple site in Bojongmenje, Cangkuang Rancaekeke, some 25 kilometers southeast of Bandung, West Java.

RP ship leaves Malaysia with sick children Agencies, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Philippine investigators on Tuesday began to probe conditions at Malaysian deportation camps accused of ill-treating Filipino illegal immigrants as a navy ship carrying sick children set sail for home. The San Juan was carrying 150 women and children as it began the six-hour journey to Bongao in the southern Philippines from Sandakan in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state on Borneo island.

Decency needed in migrants' plight Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asia News Network, Manila Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad may have suspended the deportation of undocumented Filipinos from Sabah over the weekend, but it is the undiplomatic remarks of his chief diplomat, rather than his decisive action, that continues to roil the waters between the Philippines and Malaysia.