Civilians must be more aware of defense needs Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Former Governor, National Resilience Institute, (Lemhanas), Jakarta Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defense published its first Defense White Book, titled The Defense of the Nation in the 21st Century. This is a commendable performance by the ministry that deserves our praise.

Megawati awarded honorary doctorate Moscow's Institute of International Relations rector Alexander Turkunov presented Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri with an honorary doctorate on Tuesday for her contribution to "the development of mutual understanding between peoples and interaction between civilizations." During the presentation, Megawati shared her experiences of preserving a national consensus in the multi-ethnic and multi- religious country and briefed the audience on...

`Tempo' chief editor testifies to assault by Tomy backers M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti told the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday that he was assaulted by David Tjioe alias A Miauw, a minion of tycoon Tomy Winata, at the Central Jakarta Police station, under the watchful eyes of policemen. He made the statement in the trial of David, who along with other supporters of Tomy, stormed the weekly's office on Jl.

Students mark Earth Day CIREBON, West Java: Hundreds of students marked Earth Day on Tuesday by imposing a "no-pollution" zone along Jl. Siliwangi in the West Java town of Cirebon, where motorists were required to turn off their engines while the students pushed their cars down the street. The students also asked motorcyclists to get off their bikes and push them through the street's no-pollution zone.

Australia worried about Vietnamese boatpeople sailing from Indonesia Agence France-Presse Sydney, Australia/Jakarta Australian authorities has expressed concern to Indonesia over its decision to allow 42 Vietnamese boatpeople to sail for Australia in an unsafe and overcrowded wooden boat, officials said on Tuesday.

City to build Manggarai apartment JAKARTA: The city administration will proceed with the construction of a low-cost apartment complex in Manggarai, South Jakarta, where about 4,000 people lost their houses to a fire last month. However, a number of local residents have objected to the plan. "They should realize that they have illegally occupied the land, and understand that this plan is for the betterment of their lives," Governor Sutiyoso was quoted by Antara as saying here on Tuesday.

SARS to finally hit investment in China Owen Brown, Dow Jones, Beijing As health authorities Tuesday continued to upgrade the extent of the spread of a potentially fatal respiratory virus, a key concern for China's economy remains the possible downside for foreign investment. So far analysts expect China's tourism and hospitality industries to be the hardest hit by public health concerns arising from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

Officials given surprise drug test PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: Senior officials in the West Kalimantan provincial government were given surprise drug tests on Tuesday when they showed up for what they thought was a regular morning meeting with the governor. Governor Usman Ja'far, Deputy Governor Herman Kadir and 46 high-ranking officials were given urine tests as part of the province's drive to combat narcotics.

1. INSIGHT: 1 x 50 Earth Day: Rethinking our approach to the earth 2. RUSSIA: 1 x 35 RI wants closer ties with Russia 3. MEGA: 1 x 38 Megawati awarded honorary doctorate 4. BOAT: 1 x 43 Boat people issue could sour Australia ties

IBRA launches property sale program The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) said on Tuesday that it had started the sale of property assets taken from its debtors. The debtors are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The registration period to participate in the sale program, called the Crash Program Property (CPP), was held from April 21 until April 20, an agency press statement said.

Concern SARS To Eventually Hit Investment In China Owen Brown Dow Jones Beijing As health authorities Tuesday continued to upgrade the extent of the spread of a potentially fatal respiratory virus, a key concern for China's economy remains the possible downside for foreign investment. So far analysts expect China's tourism and hospitality industries to be the hardest hit by public health concerns arising from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

Earth Day celebrated in many ways The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Jakarta Indonesians marked Earth Day on Tuesday in various ways including stopping motorists and asking them to switch off their engines, asking smokers to put out their cigarettes and pulling down banners in green areas. In Jakarta, about 100 environmentalists staged a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, and called on people to care for the earth and conserve water.

Students to get thermometers SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education will distribute as many as 500,000 thermometers to the city-state's students so they will be able to check themselves for fever every day to prevent the spread of SARS, local media reported on Tuesday. The campaign will be launched in elementary schools next week and then extended to high schools and junior colleges, said Singapore NewsRadio 93.8.

Bangkok to destroy land mines THAILAND: Thailand this week will become the first country in mainland Southeast Asia to complete the destruction of its land mine stockpiles, but its border areas remain contaminated with the buried weapons, the UN said on Tuesday.

Govt imposes travel ban on SARS patients Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government decided on Tuesday to impose a travel ban on suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases in an attempt to control the spread of the disease, which has claimed more than 200 hundred lives worldwide.

1. TEMPO: 50 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 12 'Tempo' editor testifies to assault by Tomy supporters 2. CANDRA: 36 pt, 3 cols, 2 x 26 Candra Naya: A heritage already forgotten? 3. MOLEN: 30 pt, 5 cols, 1 x 45 'Molenvliet' marked Batavia's golden age 4. SPEAK: 28 pt, 2 cols, 2 x 20 'I often violate the 3-in-1 traffic rule'

Bus attack revives security fears LAOS: The bloody weekend ambush of a bus in Laos has revived security fears in Vietnam's tiny western neighbor and left diplomats in the Laotian capital Vientiane puzzling over the identify of the assailants. There has been no claim of responsibility for Sunday's attack which left at least 12 people dead and another 31 wounded, according to a toll published by the state-owned English-language Vientiane Times on Tuesday.

Community guards train for psy-ops JAKARTA: As many as 1,700 of some 30,000 community security guards who are members of the Hansip force in the city will receive training on how to handle demonstrators. Among the subjects to learn are the mob psychology and techniques to calm down large groups and to find the provocateurs, Head of the City Public Order and People's Protection Office, Subagio, said Tuesday.

Panin Bank to issue Rp 650b in bonds JAKARTA: PT Bank Pan Indonesia, or Panin Bank, officially announced Tuesday that it will issue up to Rp 650 billion (US$73.8 million) in subordinated bonds in June to diversify the maturity profile of its debt. The amount is higher than the Rp 500 billion indicated by an official at the bank. The bond will have a 10-year maturity callable after five years, the bank said in a prospectus published in a local newspaper on Tuesday.

ASEAN health ministers to hold talks in Malaysia Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian health ministers will gather here on Saturday for a meeting to discuss ways of combating the SARS virus, a Malaysian minister said on Tuesday. Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said ministers from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan have also been invited to the meeting, which would be opened by acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

More join family planning in Lampung BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: The provincial administration of Lampung said it expected more couples to join the state sponsored family program this year, after almost 70 percent of 1.2 million couples in the province joined the program last year.

Bogor crying out for undertakers BOGOR: The town of Bogor is in dire need of undertakers who know how to tend to the dead in accordance with Islamic law. Mayor Iswara Natanegara said on Tuesday that very few people were interested in learning the profession, Antara reported. On average, there is only one undertaker assigned to each subdistrict, and they are usually very old, he said at the opening of a training seminar on how to tend to the dead here.