RCTI secures Euro 2004 broadcast package Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta RCTI has secured television rights to the Euro 2004 soccer tournament in Portugal for an undisclosed sum. "We are proud to announce that RCTI is the official TV partner of Euro 2004 after we won the bidding," RCTI director Harry Tanusoedibyo told a media conference here on Wednesday. Harry said that RCTI, one of 11 television channels in Indonesia, had had to compete with other five stations.

Politicizing security matters: Deja vu Mette Lykke Knudsen, Visiting Fellow, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta Lately, and increasingly since the Aug. 5 JW Marriott Hotel bombing, security has yet again surfaced as a "hot topic" in politics here. The focus of this push for enhanced security is, for example, the physical safety of Indonesians and foreigners and political stability.

Malaysia back in Tour victory The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Cyclists returned to racing during the fourth stage of Indonesia's death-marred Tour d'ISSI on Wednesday, with the Malaysian team back in control, according to Antara. The Malaysian team, which won the first two stages but dropped the third stage, returned to its winning ways during the 135- kilometer fourth stage between Purwokerto to Pekalongan.

Floating bonds overseas Buoyed by stronger macroeconomic stability, a steadily declining debt ratio to gross domestic product and the positive response from domestic and foreign investors to its rupiah bonds, the Indonesian government plans to reenter the international financial market next year. The 2004 state budget proposal includes a plan to raise Rp 3.48 trillion (US$400 million) from floating international bonds. For a government bond issue, that amount is quite small.

Dirgantara workers protest dismissal decision The Jakarta Post, Bandung Thousands of employees of state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government's decision to dismiss 6,000 workers. "Why are we the victims of this mismanagement?" AM Bone, secretary of the Workers Communication Forum (FKK), asked during the demonstration in front of the company's headquarters in Bandung, West Java.

Police told to speed up Alzier's probe BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: The provincial prosecutor's office urged police on Wednesday to immediately complete the dossier of Lampung's elected governor, M. Alzier Dianis Thabrani, who is charged with corruption. "We have written to the police asking them to speed up the investigation, so the dossier can be brought to court for the trial," spokesman for the Lampung Prosecutor's Office Fietra Sani said. Alzier was elected the new Lampung governor on Dec.

Officials accused of protecting trawlers DELI SERDANG, North Sumatra: Hundreds of fishermen in Deli Serdang regency and neighboring districts demanded on Wednesday that security authorities deal sternly with trawlers operating off the coast of North Sumatra. The fishermen blamed the trawlers for their small catches. "We cannot do anything, the number of trawlers continues to increase and security personnel do not stop them," said one protester.

Malaysia to deport Acehnese despite UNHCR's objections Agencies, Jakarta Malaysia will deport some 250 Acehnese who were arrested as they were trying to seek asylum at the United Nations refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, despite protests from the UN body. Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Wednesday Malaysia's stand on the asylum seekers from the war-torn Indonesian province of Aceh, would be no different to that of other illegal immigrants.

BCB, Niaga joins hands to tap market Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia's Bumiputra-Commerce Bank (BCB) and its Indonesian unit PT Bank Niaga tied-up on Wednesday to introduce a speedy remittance service for some 600,000 Indonesian workers here. The 'CashLaju' (FastCash) service will cater to Indonesian workers here as well as small business traders with active cross- border trade in Indonesia, said BCB chief executive Rozali Mohamed Ali.

K9 team helpful, but not suitable for Aceh Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh Meet Raima, formerly an assistant to the police whose job was to detect explosive materials at the JW Marriott Hotel in South Jakarta. But Raima the Labrador was not on duty when a bomb exploded at the hotel on Aug. 5, killing 12 people and injuring 147 others.

S. American drug syndicate operating here: suspect Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A Brazilian paraglider arrested on charges of drug smuggling confessed that he worked for a South American drug syndicate, and said that one of his accomplices was still on loose after successfully smuggling cocaine into the country. National Narcotics Agency (BNN) director Comr. Gen.

TV Program: Thursday, August 21, 2003 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Berita Pagi 7:00 English News Services 7:30 Children Show 9:30 Travel 10:00 Music 11:00 News: Berita Daerah 12:00 p.m. News: Berita Siang 1:00 Talk Show: Konsultasi Keluarga 2:00 City News 3:00 TV Drama 4:00 Religious Teachings 5:00 Religious Songs 6:00 News: Berita Petang 7:00 Battle of Wits 8:00 Galaksi 9:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 9:30 Music: Country Road 11:00 Talk Show: Bincang Malam TPI 6:00 a.m.

Govt expects to sell BNI, BTN next year Dow Jones, Jakarta Indonesia's is planning to sell stakes in heavyweight PT Bank Negara Indonesia and unlisted PT Bank Tabungan Negara next year, a minister told reporters on Wednesday. "The two banks are on the list for sale," said State Enterprise Minister Laksamana Sukardi. He didn't give any other details.

Semen Gresik vows to dismiss ex-CEOs Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After years of struggle, publicly listed cement producer PT Semen Gresik is now preparing to regain control of its subsidiary PT Semen Padang in West Sumatra following the verdict by a district court ordering Padang's defiant old management to leave the firm. Gresik vowed on Wednesday to use every legal means to oust the old management. On Aug.

Examine foreign NGOs From Koran Tempo There has been some discussion on the possibility of examining foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and this would seem quite natural indeed. Many foreign NGOs work in this country and some of them opt to work in conflict-ridden areas like in Aceh, Papua, Maluku and Poso to provide humanitarian aid to the victims in such places.

Performance bond dispute may thwart monorail Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The city's proposed monorail project might be suspended as the Malaysian investor and its local counterparts have declined to deposit a performance bond of 1 percent of the total US$400 million value of the investment in an escrow account.

Supreme Court needs more justices MEDAN, North Sumatra: Chief justice Bagir Manan said in the North Sumatra capital Medan on Wednesday that the Supreme Court was running short of justices to hear the increasing number of cases on appeal. Speaking at a congress of the Indonesian Bar Association (IPHI), Bagir said the existing 25 justices could not try the around 16,000 cases registered with the court. He said his office would likely change the working system to help cope with the shortages.

Sex education for Ambonese refugees AMBON, Maluku: The United Nations Fund Population Agency (UNFPA) has provided Rp 2.2 billion (US$258,000) in assistance toward the instigation of a reproduction program in Maluku province, which was wracked by three years of sectarian fighting since 1999. The aid was also intended to provide emergency funds for refugees, who fled their homes due to the conflict, Maluku family planning agency's Gusti Ayu Sri Astuti said here on Wednesday.

Matori gives up PKB ghost, registers new party A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Matori Abdul Djalil's Democracy Glory Party (Pekade) registered with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights on Wednesday, putting an end to his long-running legal dispute with the National Awakening Party (PKB). Pekade is now one of 91 political parties that have signed up to contest the 2004 general election.

Kopassus chief to visit Australia JAKARTA: The commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), Maj. Gen. Sriyanto, is scheduled to visit Australia in September as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation with its armed forces. Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Wednesday that military cooperation with other countries, including Australia, was important in fighting terrorism. Australian Army chief Gen.

Elegant new BMW 520i has subtle facelit Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Driving a new car means catching up on the latest technology and design. Which was why I was so excited when given the opportunity to test-drive the new BMW 520i. With so many changes since the 5 series was launched 30 years ago, I had expected to see the latest generation in the series looking like it did in the magazines.

More alternatives to 'bajaj' The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Besides kancil, the city administration is currently preparing four types of four-wheeled vehicles, as options to replace the three-wheeled bajaj. The four vehicles are the locally manufactured kelinci and satria, the Chinese made sandi and a new model of bajaj, jointly produced by Thailand and India.

_________________________________________________________________________________________ Rupiah Rates Aug.20 _________________________________________________________________________________________ Banknote rates TT rates Selling Buying Selling Buying Australian dollar 1 5,862.79 5,203.32 5,562.57 5,503.31 Brunei dollar 1 5,112.61 4,539.69 4,850.81 4,801.42 Canadian dollar 1 6,406.88 5,689.32 6,078.80 6,017.33 Swiss franc 1 6,426.21 5,705.67 6,097.14 6,034.62 Danish krone 1 1,336.24 1,186.54...

I don't want to rely on neigbors for water Much of Java is in the throes of a drought as bad as the one that hit in 1997. Jakarta is also suffering through water shortages, with the water level of the main Jatiluhur reservoir having dropped to 82 meters from more than 100 meters. Residents are complaining about disruptions to both tap water and artesian well supplies. A number of people told The Jakarta Post they were concerned about a water crisis if the dry season continues for much longer.

RCTI to issue Rp 550b of bonds JAKARTA: Indonesia's leading television broadcaster PT Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI), will issue Rp 550 billion in five-year bonds in October mainly for business expansion and debt refinancing. Guntur Pasaribu, a director with the Surabaya Stock Exchange, said late on Tuesday that RCTI will list the bond on the exchange. Details on the coupon rate and timetable of the offering are still unavailable.