Sony tumbles out as Taufik on course for first title Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Riau Indonesian hopeful Sony Dwi Kuncoro crashed out of the US$170,000 Indonesia Open badminton championships on Thursday, leaving Taufik Hidayat the only local contender for the men's singles title at the tournament.

Marathon to buy LNG from RI firms The Jakarta Post, Jakarta U.S. Marathon Oil Corporation has agreed to purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and private-owned PT Exspan Tomori Sulawesi, according to a press release issued by the U.S. firm on Thursday. The agreement was contained in an MoU signed by Marathon's subsidiary, GNBC Ventas.

NGO Activists condemn squatter evictions Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The involvement of public order officers, policemen and military officers in the eviction of around 10,000 illegal occupants of private-owned land at Jembatan Besi area, Tambora, West Jakarta, has been protested by urban activists.

1 x 39 'Logging mafia to profit from new bylaw' JP/5/ugm 2 x 24 Police patrol UGM after two student groups clash JP/5/beratha 1 x 33 Court backs Beratha's swearing-in

Exhibition shows money matters Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta When society invented formal currency, a new line of business also sprung up, that of the counterfeit money. A Money Fair held at Bank Indonesia's Artha Suaka Museum revealed that the business was already thriving in the 14th century Buton Kingdom.

Press impartiality in Aceh The information disclosed by new media watchdog Aceh News Watch on Wednesday that most national newspapers and television stations had failed to practice the very basic media principles of impartiality and coverage of both sides in a conflict in their reportage of the war in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) surprises no one.

Tyranny in Jakarta The eviction of squatters living in 1,500 houses in Jembatan Besi, Tambora, West Jakarta two days ago was a "war" between the people and the security apparatus. Some people had to be taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries. The city administration and the owner of the land occupied by the people refused to claim responsibility for the forced eviction. Who then should be responsible for this? It would take a long debate to get an answer to this question.

Copyright law hits Internet business The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The new copyrights law could hamper the growth in the number of Internet users, as software products cost internet service providers more. Heru Nugroho, the secretary general of the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), said Law No. 19/2002 on copyrights may lead to the collapse of internet services such as internet cafes, locally known as warnet.

UGM demands 'voluntary' donation My younger brother passed the selection test to join Gajah Mada University (UGM) held in Senayan, Jakarta. Before taking the test, my brother did not fill in the column on the registration form specifying the amount he would give as a voluntary donation. He comes from a poor family and would never be able to afford to pay a voluntary donation ranging between Rp 2 million and Rp 10 million.

Heavy dollar buying weakens rupiah, rebound expected soon The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The rupiah closed lower on Thursday, but dealers expect a rebound soon on renewed confidence in the economy and its improving macroeconomic fundamentals. The local currency ended at Rp 8,510 against the U.S. dollar, down from 8,455 a day earlier. Dealers attributed the decline to heavy dollar buying by companies to repay off-shore debts and import financing.

Dow Jones Singapore The Thai baht spiked to a fresh 13-month high on Thursday, buoyed by bullish economic data and the prime minister's remarks that the currency's rise reflects economic strength and is hard to curb. Generally, it was another day of mixed performance from Asian currencies. The South Korean won and Indonesian rupiah were modestly lower, while the Singapore dollar and New Taiwan dollar were little changed.

Decrease in market's rice supply JAKARTA: Rice supply at the city's main market, Cipinang, in East Jakarta has reportedly decreased -- from 30,000 tons a month to 25,000 tons a month -- due to the prolonged dry season, an official said on Thursday. "Main rice suppliers in Kerawang and Cirebon, West Java could only supply 25,000 tons a month due to the dry season," the market's manager, Nasion Baktiono, said.

Police patrol UGM after two student groups clash Syaiful Amin, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Dozens of police officers were patrolling Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Thursday, a day after at least seven students were injured in a clash between two student groups. The brawl took place on Wednesday night between students from the School of Forestry and the School of Political Science (Fisipol) during orientation for new students.

Formosa to up investment in Vietnam HANOI: Taiwanese petrochemical giant Formosa Plastics Group said on Thursday it will invest an additional US$212 million in Vietnam to expand its operations in the country. Chen Kun Tai, deputy general director of Hung Nghiep Formosa, the group's 100 percent Taiwanese-owned operating company in Vietnam, said the Ministry of Planning and Investment had handed over the expansion license on Tuesday.

Consumer confidence drops The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesian consumer confidence fell in July compared to the month before, primarily due to utility price hikes, the latest survey by the Danareksa Research Institute revealed on Thursday. The consumer confidence index (CCI) slipped to 91.7 percent in the month, a drop from 95.3 percent posted in June, the survey said.

Terrorism, a common enemy From Media Indonesia Acts of terrorism in Indonesia not only have claimed lives and material losses, but have also spoiled the nation's good name, while creating a negative image of the country -- that it is an unsafe place to visit. The failure to learn from every incident means that terror threats are always anticipated too late.

34 named suspects in council rampage PALU, Central Sulawesi: Police said on Thursday they had named at least 34 suspects in an attack on the Buol Legislative Council and its speaker Amran Batalipu in Central Sulawesi earlier this month. The suspects, including 23 students, were among the 59 people arrested after the assault on Dec. 16 during a demonstration by thousands of people at the council. Spokesman for the Central Sulawesi Police Adj. Sr. Comr.

FOR ADS COUNTRY PROFILE: MALAYSIA Publication: Aug 1, 20003 Malaysia - A country on the move Malaysia, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, comprises Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. With 25 million multi-racial and multi-cultural people living together harmoniously, Malaysia is rich in its unique blend of religions, socio-cultural activities and traditions, clothing, languages and food.

RI demands direct access to Hambali Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The police are demanding for the direct and independent interrogation of Indonesian-born terror-suspect Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali, who is currently under United States' custody. National Police Chief Gen.