JakArt@2003 Schedule June 12: Theater Love and Freedom by Teater Cikrak Balai Latihan Kesenian Jakarta Selatan Jl. Asem Baris No. 100, Tebet, South Jakarta 7:30 p.m. June 13: Kemsik Kamel performance by musicians from Kampung Melayu Segitiga Atrium Mal Senen, Central Jakarta 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. June 13,14,15: Theater Perampok Teater Kecil-TIM, Jl. Cikini Raya 73 Central Jakarta 8 p.m. June 14: Theater Love and Freedom by Teater Cikrak Balai Latihan Kesenian Jakarta Utara, North Jakarta 4 p.m.

Roads in disrepair From Media Indonesia Asphalt is now abundantly available in Indonesia. Road construction experts are also easily available in this country. Unfortunately, after 58 years of independence, roads on the outskirts of Jakarta and in other cities outside of Java are still in poor repair. Indeed, some roads have been repaired but the repairs last only for a short time. When the rainy season comes, the roads are again in disrepair.

East Timor will not push for int'l tribunal to try TNI officers Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta East Timor foreign minister Jose Ramos Horta reiterated here on Wednesday that his government did not intend to pursue an international tribunal against Indonesian military officials charged with rights abuses in East Timor.

Drought threatens West Java rice supply Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu, West Java Over 45,000 hectares of rice plants in the Indramayu and Cirebon regencies, known as the rice belt of West Java, have withered following the early arrival of the annual drought, predicted to last until November. A tract of farmland in the region could not be planted and in some areas, young rice plants could not grow because of the drastic decrease in the water supply from three dams in the province.

Final exam results show real education quality Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A large number of high school students who recently failed the final exams in several provinces has provided education officials with some clues to the actual academic potential of students in the country. "It (the increase) had been foreseen. The new system was designed to curb the school's role to intervene or influence the results," education expert Arief Rachman told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Burglars target former minister Shihab JAKARTA: Burglars broke into the home of former religious affairs minister Quraish Shihab located on Jl. Jeruk Purut in Cilandak, South Jakarta, on Wednesday at about 3 a.m., making off with a Toyota Camry, a laptop computer and a Discman. "It seems that they were familiar with the situation in the house," Shihab's wife, Fatmawati, was quoted by Antara as saying. She said the burglars entered the house by forcing open a window.

1. bANDO -- Aceh factor in Indonesia-Sweden relations 1 x 38 Aceh factor in RI-Sweden relations Bantarto Bandoro Editor, 'The Indonesian Quarterly' Centre For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta bandoro@csis.or.id 2. Fuji -- Management boils down to communicating 1 X 45 Management boils down to communication Fujio Mitarai The Asahi Shimbun Tokyo 3. Pro -- China's anonymous gulag 1 X 30 Do not change the way China is ruled John Kamm President Dui Hua Foundation Project Syndicate

Maluku councillors discuss election AMBON, Maluku: Fifteen councillors from Maluku, who are also members of the gubernatorial election committee, are slated to meet home minister Hari Sabarno on Friday to discuss election regulations. The committee's chairman Jhon Maioa said on Wednesday that the councillors would also meet the ministry's regional autonomy director general to consult technical problems in the election.

Thick haze begins to reach southern Thailand Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Thick haze resulting from the use of the slash and burn method to clear farmland in Sumatra has reached the southern part of Thailand, reducing visibility but not yet posing risks to public health, said a Thai government official on Wednesday. Dr.

No more foreigners! From Warta Kota When he met Indonesian defense minister Matori Abdul Djalil in Singapore, U.S. deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz asked the Indonesian government to allow foreign monitoring agencies in to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province. The Indonesian government must ignore this request because Indonesia is capable of taking care of its own internal affairs. The U.S. ignored the entire world in its illegal invasion of Iraq recently. Now that the U.S.

Embassy apologizes for cutting tree Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The British Embassy apologized on Wednesday to the city administration for cutting back an old banyan tree (Ficus benjamina) inside the embassy compound here, following an admonishment from Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso. "Basically, the British Embassy apologizes for having cut the tree," Faye Belnis, a press officer of the British Embassy, told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Democracy needs a capable military and a free press Kusnanto Anggoro, Senior Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta The media have long been key players in the drama of war. The Spanish-American War of 1898 was provoked in part by a jingoistic American press. Seventy years later, the media played a large role in the Vietnam. The lack of public support for the U.S.

Highlights of the education bill Article 7: All citizens aged between seven and 15 years must obtain basic education. Article 12: Central and regional administrations must provide funds for the education of citizens aged between seven and 15 years. Article 13 (1): Each student has the right to get religious instruction by teachers of the same faith.

Government to regulate education bill Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Implementation of the national education bill would be set out in government regulations, House of Representatives Commission VI for education deputy chairwoman Chotidjah HM Saleh said Wednesday. The regulations would ensure effective implementation, she said. The controversial bill was passed on Wednesday night after the House failed to reach agreement during a plenary session on Tuesday.

Drag queen enters politics Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Although the jampacked hall of Sunan Kalijaga State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) was stiflingly hot, Merlyn's voice could be clearly heard above the din of a book discussion. Merlyn, a 30-year-old transsexual from Malang, East Java, was in a class all her own that afternoon. Her striking looks and witty remarks easily charmed the audience.

1 x 36 City Hall caught making false statement JP/8/Junkyard 3 x 16 Junkyard boys: Portrait of a 'playground' JP/8/Anniversary 2 x 21 Jakarta 476 years young, but committee in the dark 1 x 26 Toll roads remain congested JP/8/speakup 2 x 21 'I couldn't focus on my exams due to poverty'

Six girls escape forced prostitution Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau Six girls narrowly escaped from being forced into working as commercial sex workers in neighboring country Singapore after paying a deposit to a broker in Batam. They ran away from the Singaporean broker, Acun, at Batu Ampar port in Batam prior to their departure. They had earlier been promised jobs at hotels or restaurants in Singapore by paying Rp 2 million (US$244) each to a Javanese broker, Suryanto.

Petrosea to pay dividend JAKARTA: Oil and mining construction company PT Petrosea said it would distribute Rp 8.5 billion (about US$1 million) in dividends, or Rp 50 per share, despite a sharp decline in profit and a gloomy outlook. Petrosea's operating revenue in 2002 dropped to Rp 848 billion from Rp 862 billion in 2001, while its net profit declined to Rp 23 billion from Rp 117 billion the previous year. Company president Micheil E.

Rights body says mass grave found in Aceh Agencies, Banda Aceh A mass grave has been found in Aceh province where Indonesian troops are battling separatist rebels, a state human rights investigator said Wednesday. "That grave is confirmed, yes, but what happened, the number of victims and the witnesses hasn't yet been (confirmed)," M.M. Billah, of the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, told Agence France-Presse.

Christine Hakim wins French award JAKARTA: Actress Christine Hakim has won the Commandeur dans L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government, the highest award for art and literature given by the European government. The French Embassy in Indonesia said the award would be presented on Thursday on behalf of the French Ministry of Culture and Communications. The award was given to Christine for her valuable contribution to developing Indonesian film.

Court produces more information on JI Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A court hearing has produced more information on the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group but has not proven a direct link between its leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and the charges of trying to topple the government through its terror campaign in a bid to set up an Islamic state in the country.

Asian Currencies Down Late; Market Wary Of Intervention Dow Jones Singapore Asian currencies followed the yen lower on Wednesday, with market players remaining wary of provoking intervention by regional central banks. The South Korean won initially proved the exception as equity related dollar selling by foreign investors pushed the U.S. unit to an intraday trough of 1,190.7 won. Foreign investors snapped up local shares for a 10th session, ending as net buyers of 155.9 billion won of stocks.

JP/4/BALI Key witnesses deny role in Bali bombings Wahyoe Boediwardhana The Jakarta Post Denpasar, Bali A surprising twist marked the trial of Bali bombings' key suspect Amrozi on Wednesday when two main witnesses denied there were a series of meetings to plot and prepare the attacks.

It would be spectacular if Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh's statement that some 1,000 village heads in the regency of Bireuen in the war-torn province were prepared to resign came to pass. Puteh did not elaborate on why the village heads would give up their posts. However, it is obvious that the desire to cripple the administration at the lowest level, following the maneuvers of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), is behind the threatened resignations.

Police not to take action on deputy governor MEDAN, North Sumatra: The North Sumatra Police said they would not take any action on deputy governor-elect Rudolf Pardede for allegations of using a fake university diploma. "The one responsible for the matter is the election committee," said police spokesman Sr. Comr. Amrin Karim on Wednesday. The police are currently investigating the allegedly fake diploma of Pardede, who is scheduled to be installed on June 16 along with incumbent governor T.

TPL may be innocent, says minister JAKARTA: State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said on Wednesday that it would be difficult to prove if pulp producing company, Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), was to blame for the acid rain in the Porsea district of North Sumatra. "There is no evidence backing this claim, because rain has yet to fall there," Nabiel said after a meeting with Vice President Hamzah Haz here.

Excitement grows in buildup to Mandiri IPO Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta As the sale of a 15 percent stake in Bank Mandiri comes closer, public interest has become intense, thanks in part to the massive publicity campaign being run by the country's largest bank. The level of interest has also helped create positive sentiment in the market, according to analysts.