1. HAMBALI: 48 pt, 3 cols, 3 x 18 Police receive info on terrorist suspect Hambali from U.S. 2. KL: 38 pt, 4 cols, 2 x 30 Acehnese find no sympathy, safety from strife in neighboring Malaysia 3. GLIDER: 32 pt, 3 cols, 2 x 24 Police ground Brazilian paraglider for drugs 4. ACEH: 28 pt, 4 cols, 1 x 40 Post-Aug. 17 skirmishes yield 4 rebel deaths 5. REFORM: 28 pt, 5 cols, 1 x 50 Top security minister warns of reformative excesses

Skirmishes yield 4 rebel deaths in Aceh Agencies, Jakarta The Indonesian Military (TNI) shot dead four separatist rebels including a suspected senior figure as it marked the first half of its major offensive against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). Troops killed three suspected GAM members on the outskirts of the town of Lhokseumawe on Monday, military spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said in Lhokseumawe on Tuesday.

2004 budget targets achievable: Burhanuddin The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah said the monetary targets set out in the 2004 state budget draft were achievable despite the potential problems during the election year.

RP imports down 3.3% in June MANILA: Merchandise imports in the Philippines fell 3.3 percent from a year earlier in June, though imports for the first six months remained ahead of last year's levels, the National Statistics Office said on Tuesday. June imports dropped 3.3 percent to US$2.922 billion from a year ago. The figure was also 11.6 percent lower than the previous month's total of $3.305 billion.

JP/5/suramadu Megawati set to launch Suramadu construction Ainur R. Sophiaan The Jakarta Post Surabaya After several delays, President Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated on Wednesday to launch the construction of the giant Suramadu bridge to connect the islands of Java and Madura in East Java. However, land acquisition for the long-awaited project has not yet been finalized, as the landowners have demanded more expensive prices.

Govt to launch road show next month to market int'l bonds The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government will visit a number of major financial centers including New York, London, Singapore and Dubai next month to assess investors' interest in a planned international bonds issue, said Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah. "In mid-September we will launch a non-deal road show, as a precursor to the international bonds issue," Burhanuddin said on the sidelines of a seminar here.

Government to give free rice to drought-hit farmers Sari P. Setiogi and M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government promised on Tuesday to distribute 20,000 tons of rice worth Rp 60 billion (US$7.5 million) and embark on labor- intensive programs for 250,000 farmers across Java who are unable to work their land because of the current drought. "We are now focusing on addressing problems resulting from the drought because it has hit Java's rice-producing belt.

S'pore, India complete talks SINGAPORE: Singapore and India have completed a third round of talks for a comprehensive economic partnership with discussions on a wide range of issues, the two countries said on Tuesday. The issues discussed during the three-day talks in New Delhi which ended Monday included financial services, free trade agreement in goods as well as areas of co-operation in telecommunications, air services, tourism, education and biotechnology, they said in a statement.

Arutmin sets fixed-coupon for $300m bonds issue Dow Jones, Jakarta Indonesia's third-largest coal miner PT Arutmin has set an indicative fixed-coupon rate of between 9.25 percent and 9.50 percent per year on its US$300 million five-year bonds. The company will sell the bonds in the domestic market at 100 percent of face value. The funds raised will mainly be used to refinance the company's higher interest debts.

Kafi, laughing marketing guru T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, tabita@cbn.net.id Kafi Kurnia was talking about corruption during a radio program last week when he suddenly burst into laughter. One of the listeners, became upset and immediately called the radio station to warn him to be more serious in addressing such problems. Kafi apologized, explaining that he had no intention to laugh at anyone. Indeed, Kafi laughs a lot.

Indonesia's security law Powerful arguments are being raised in Indonesia's ruling circles in favor of a punitive security law that its advocates say is necessary to prevent terrorist acts. It will permit preventive detention of persons regarded as threats to state security, an old law with which Singaporeans and Malaysians are familiar.

U.S. provides antiterror equipment DENPASAR, Bali: The United States government handed over 60 metal detectors and 30 under-car mirrors to the Bali Police on Tuesday in an effort to improve the local police's capability in preventing any terror attack. Bombs rocked the resort island on Oct. 12 last year, killing 202 people, mostly foreigners. Seven U.S. citizens were among those who perished in the blasts. U.S. Vice Consul Philip Antweiler stated the equipment worth Rp 330 million reflected U.S.

'I'm unhappy about water company's poor service' This year, the prolonged dry season across Java, including Jakarta, has caused a water shortage. The government has warned the public that it may get worse still. It has been reported that water levels at Jatiluhur reservoir, Purwakarta, West Java, are dropping by 20 centimeters per day. If this continues, it will inevitably affect the water supply to city-owned tap water company PDAM in Jakarta.

Hamzah launches VP center JAKARTA: Vice President Hamzah Haz inaugurated on Tuesday the Vice President Center, a non-governmental organization which will provide an alternative forum for communication between the government, people and private sector in dealing with problems facing the nation.

Council chief arrested for graft Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung Prosecutors in Lampung province forcibly detained the Tanggamus legislative council speaker on Tuesday for allegedly defying their summonses for questioning as a suspect in a corruption case. Muaz Munziri, 50, from the Golkar Party, was arrested at around 2:30 p.m. and immediately moved to a cell at the Lampung Prosecutor's Office.

Day of fires leaves hundreds homeless: A massive fire burned down 165 houses in the coastal area of Belawan in Medan on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of people homeless. Later in the evening, another fire destroyed five-story shops along on Jl. Sekip in the North Sumatra provincial capital. No casualties were reported, but losses inflicted by the incidents reached billions of rupiah.

GAM establish embassy on Vanuatu : Report The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has asked Vanuatu to clarify a report that the Free Aceh Movement has been allowed to establish a representative office on the small south-west Pacific islands nation. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the government would file a strong protest if the report was true.

Law professor to chair Constitutional Court A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Jimly Asshiddique, a professor of law at the University of Indonesia, was elected on Tuesday as chairman of the newly established Constitutional Court. Meanwhile, Laica Marzuki, a judge at the Supreme Court, was voted deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court in an internal election that lasted more than three hours on Tuesday. Laica was absent from the election due to illness.