FCTC treaty: Putting up a fight against the tobacco giants Santi W.E. Soekanto and Ratih Sayidun, Journalists, Jakarta Using many modern-day heroes such as the popular boy band Padi and the singer Nugie, the Indonesian tobacco industry has been intensifying its campaign to recruit new smokers from among the young.

Defendant misses retrial over journalist's death Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta The Yogyakarta Military Tribunal opened on Wednesday the retrial of Second Adj. Edy Wuryanto, a policeman who is accused of confiscating a notebook belonging to slain journalist Fuad Syafruddin, alias Udin. The defendant, however, failed to show up at court, prompting judges to postpone the retrial until the end of this month. Military Prosecutor Lt. Col.

Squash players to battle in ISCI Open The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Squash players from all across Indonesia will meet on Friday at the International Sports Club of Indonesia (ISCI) in Ciputat, South Jakarta, to take part in the annual, three-day ISCI Open.

BPN, Spain's CIMSA sign $22m contract JAKARTA: The National Land Affairs Body (BPN) and Spanish company CIMSA have signed a commercial contract for the third phase of a land office computerization project that started in 1996, according to a release sent by the Embassy of Spain in Jakarta on Tuesday.

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.

Deer project raises further controversy Arya Abhiseka and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta More questions have arisen in regards Governor Sutiyoso's controversial deer project for Monas park following the death of a deer on Sunday, as city officials appear to have attempted to cover up the incident. The death of the deer was publicly announced only on Tuesday evening. On Monday, The Jakarta Post visited Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta and spoke with Hadi S.

House eager to boost transparency JAKARTA: A special committee in the House deliberating the legislative mechanism began working on Wednesday, pledging to boost transparency. Hamdan Zoelva, the committee chairman, said legislators would heed the public's call for a transparent deliberation process at the House. He said all bill deliberations should be declared open to the public unless the issue is a threat to the country's sovereignty.

Indonesians like Americans, spurn U.S. Agencies, Washington The majority of Indonesians have a negative view of the United States, but they like Americans and globalization, the 2003 Global Attitudes Survey reveals. According to the survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, less that 15 percent of Indonesians have positive views of the United States, compared with 83 percent who feel unfavorably toward the country.

Companies commit to environmental conservation Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Natural resource-based companies such as oil producers, mine operators and pulp and paper firms have often become the main target of green activists, who protest over the poor handling of their industrial waste.

`Air pollution almost choking me to death' To mark the 31st World Environment Day this year, people around the world are reminded about damaging planet Earth. The capital city, Jakarta, has seen a degradation in the quality of its environment. Air pollution is a serious problem here. The Jakarta Post asked some ordinary city dwellers about the issue. Abdul Madjid, 50, is a public minivan driver on the route from Senen, Central Jakarta, to Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

SBI rate down to 10.27% The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The interest rate on the one-month Bank Indonesia SBI promissory notes fell to 10.27 percent on Wednesday from 10.44 percent in the previous week. The central bank said that the interest rate on the three- month notes also declined to 10.18 percent from 10.88 percent. Bank Indonesia has been guiding downward its benchmark rate in the past year amid a relatively low inflationary environment.

Corrupt officials leave Jakartans wheezing Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta For many Jakartans, being choked by highly polluted air while sitting in a seemingly endless traffic jam is daily occurrence and irritant. And things are going to get worse, with air pollution set to increase in the future rather than improve mainly due to the growth in the number of motor vehicles.

Govt introduces new environmental rating system Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta The idea of strolling along a riverbank to soothe your eyes or ease your mind has always been wishful thinking for Jakarta residents. Rotting trash, waste and sewage from factories, hotels, housing estates, and slums make Jakarta's water look and smell foul.

1. HAWKS: 2 x 32 UK warns Hawk dispute with RI could damage military relations 2. SWEDEN: 1 x 45 Government reconsiders stance against Sweden 3. RIGHTS: 2 x 27 Govt OKs rights body's planned inquiry in Aceh 4. TRIAL: 2 x 27 Three soldiers on trial admit assaulting villagers

1. DUIT (3 x 12) Asian monies mixed, data weighs peso 2. EU (2 x 21) Even G8 leaves dollar drop anxiety intact 3. OIL (1 x 32) No need to cut oil output: Purnomo

JP/P.J. Leo ANTIPOLLUTION CAMPAIGN: A number of elementary school students take part in an antipollution campaign, launched recently at the heavily polluted Ciliwung river in Manggarai, East Jakarta. RARE ANIMALS: This book provides an introductory guide to protected species in Indonesia.

Road reconstruction costs Rp 79b PADANG, West Sumatra: The West Sumatra provincial infrastructure office will repair 871 kilometers of road at an estimated cost of Rp 79 billion (US$9.64 million). Office deputy head Dody Ruswandi said on Wednesday that the reconstruction of the central government-built roads would begin in July. The funding is sourced from the 2003 State Budget and an additional provincial allocation of Rp 14.3 billion.

Where to go in Bali for Thursday, June 5, 2003 Film * Asian Films at Gaya Fusion of Senses, Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud (Tel. 0361 979253), 7 p.m.: In the Mood for Love (June 6), A Touch of Zen (June 9), Too Many Ways To Be no. 1 (June 13), Peking Opera Blues (June 16), Expect the Unexpected (June 20), The Mission (June 23), Juliet in Love (June 27), Bullet in the Head (June 30). Museums and Galleries * Sika Galery, Jl. Raya Campuhan Sanggingan, Ubud (Tel. 0361 975727, 975085) * Blue Moon Gallery, Jl.

IPO plan creates active buying in bank shares Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Heavy buying on banking shares helped the Jakarta Composite Index up on Wednesday, with traders attributing the sentiment to the government's plans to sell a 15 percent stake in Bank Mandiri -- the country's largest bank. The index ended up 0.4 percent higher, or 2.107 points, at 504.53, compared with the previous day's closing, with the total volume of 1.27 billion shares worth Rp 540 billion.

Indonesia reconsiders stance against Sweden The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian government has apparently softened its stance toward Sweden after threatening to downgrade diplomatic ties with the country earlier this week. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Wednesday that the government decided not to be rash concerning its ties with Sweden. "There are etiquettes that we have to follow in international diplomacy.

TV Program: Thursday, June 5, 2003 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Berita Pagi 7:00 English News Service 9:00 Music 11:00 News: Berita Daerah 12:00 p.m. News: Berita Siang 1:00 Talk Show: Konsultasi Keluarga 2:00 News: Metro Indonesia 4:00 Religious Teachings 4:30 Documentary 5:00 Music 6:00 News: Berita Petang 7:00 Battle of Wits 8:00 Music 9:00 News: Berita Malam 9:30 Music: Country Road 11:00 Talk Show: Bincang Malam TPI 6:00 a.m.

Rare tarsier's guardian angel Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Former beauty queen Angelina Patricia Pingkan Sondakh is trying hard to live up to her controversial statement that "beauty is not everything". Angelina, the 2001 Miss Indonesia, is making her mark as a conservationist, an animal lover and a writer. To show her true love for nature, she is focusing on the protection of the tarsier (tarsius spectrum), a tiny endangered primate.

Women photographers at Galeri Oktagon Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta Senior photographer and lecturer of photography at the Jakarta Arts Institute Firman Ichsan has taken the initiative to hold an all-women photographers' exhibition at Galeri Oktagon here. Themed Mata Perempuan, or Through Women's Eyes, Firman says he wanted to counterbalance the overwhelming number of events featuring male photographers.

Exports up on higher commodity prices Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Stronger prices for the country's main agricultural export commodities helped strengthen Indonesia's export performance during the first four months of this year, a senior official at the Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

1. Paul1 -- 3 X 15 The Bali bomb is a great lesson for all nations Part 1 of 2 Paul Wolfowitz U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense 2. Djati3 -- 1 X 30 Part 3 of 3 How sacred is the unitary state of RI? J. Soedjati Djiwandono

Indonesia third worst in women, child trafficking Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia is rated the world's third worst country in its commitment against and law enforcement on women and child trafficking, with an estimated population of 230,000 women and child sex workers trafficked throughout Indonesia.

BRI may sell 30% shares JAKARTA: The divestment of Bank Rakyat Indonesia's (BRI) shares might reach 30 percent of its total shares, Office of the State Minister for State Enterprises restructuring and privatization deputy head Mahmudin Yassin said. "We might offer 30 percent of BRI's shares to the public, like we did with Bank Mandiri's offering," he was quoted by detik.com as saying Wednesday.

Museum offers free batik cards JAKARTA: In celebration of Jakarta's 476th anniversary and the 28th anniversary of the Textile Museum, the museum is offering the public a rare opportunity to make batik cards, free of charge. The program will run from Friday, June 6, through June 29 at the museum, which is located on Jl. KS Tubun 2-4, Petamburan, West Jakarta. Visitors are invited to make batik greeting cards and express their hopes and comments about the city through their creations.

Airport gate closed, road damaged JAKARTA: The closure of the M-1 gate heading to the Soekarno- Hatta International Airport has caused a nearby road to become damaged because of a sharp increase in passing traffic. The chief of Rawa Burung village, Rukyat, said on Wednesday the main road in the village was in good condition before the M-1 gate was closed on May 21, Antara reported. "Many commercial trucks now take the road, resulting in it becoming seriously damaged," he told reporters.