Archive: 23 September 2003
44 articles found
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Ethnic communities demand customary rights
Ethnic communities demand customary rights Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Delegates from some 450 traditional communities across the archipelago concluded their second congress in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, with a call for the government to restore their customary rights.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Senayan vendors to be relocated
Senayan vendors to be relocated Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta "We've been hearing for some time that the east parking lot is to be converted into something they're calling an urban forest, but it has never happened," said Nazirman, a vendor who has been selling sportswear for two years at the east parking lot in the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, over the week end. He is one of hundreds of vendors currently earning their living at the parking lot.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'Sukhoigate' and its effects
'Sukhoigate' and its effects Imanuddin Razak, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta While the House of Representatives' investigating committee had yet to complete its inquiry into the controversial purchase of four Russian Sukhoi jet fighters, the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters announced on Aug. 27 that it planned to purchase another 10 such jet fighters next year to build a complete squadron of Sukhoi warplanes.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'I'm fed up with the annual floods'
'I'm fed up with the annual floods' Rain has started to fall once again in the city. Those people suffering from water shortages have welcomed the apparent arrival of the rainy season with joy -- a joy tempered, however, by concern about the possibility of flooding. The Jakarta Post talked to some residents for whom flooding is an annual occurrence on how they are preparing for this year's rainy season. Andra, 32, is an employee with a firm in Central Jakarta.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'Mega's UN speech mere fluff without enforcement, action'
'Mega's UN speech mere fluff without enforcement, action' Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta President Megawati Soekarnoputri's speech before the United Nations General Assembly could help Indonesia gain greater international support in its war against terrorism, experts say.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Thousands concerned about floods
Thousands concerned about floods Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The onset of the rainy season has caused thousands of people living along the city's rivers to worry about the safety of their homes and the possibility of floods on a similar scale to those of 2002. "There are floods every year. I'm scared because they usually start very fast and we have no time to safeguard our belongings," said Rohayah, 50, a resident of Cipinang Besar Selatan subdistrict in East Jakarta.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Establishing strong brands for over-the-counter drugs
Establishing strong brands for over-the-counter drugs Agus W. Soehadi, Contributor, Jakarta In Indonesia, the pharmaceutical business is one of the most competitive industries. More than 200 companies fight for a share of the Rp 17 trillion (US$2 billion) market. Out of 200 companies, the market is dominated by less than 40, while the rest struggle to survive. Even for the major players business is not easy.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
ASEAN urged to open up, unite to be attractive
ASEAN urged to open up, unite to be attractive Agence France-Presse, Putrajaya, Malaysia Southeast Asian nations must speed up efforts to integrate their economies and liberalise their markets to stay attractive to foreign investors, a business group said on Monday.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Activists criticize government over water
Activists criticize government over water Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Observers criticized over the weekend the water resources bill, which calls for the privatization of the water sector to some extent, saying that the decision would threaten the public's right to clean, affordable water. "Water is a social commodity, it's not a mere economic commodity and it is a public right," Budi S.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Alatas unsure of meeting with Suu Kyi
Alatas unsure of meeting with Suu Kyi Aung Hla Tun, Reuters, Yangon Indonesian special envoy Ali Alatas went into meetings with Myanmar's military government on Monday sounding less certain that he would meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she recovered from surgery.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Fire kills one on Jl. Jaksa
Fire kills one on Jl. Jaksa JAKARTA: A fire swept through at least 11 houses on Jl. Jaksa, a popular hangout for foreign backpackers, in Kebon Sirih subdistrict, Central Jakarta on Sunday afternoon, killing one resident. Witnesses said the fire broke out at 3:30 p.m. and might have started at a house belonging to a person that neighbors identified as Budiman, who was not at home.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Plan to buy submarines hailed
Plan to buy submarines hailed Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Analysts welcomed on Monday the Navy's plan to purchase new submarines and warships, as its defense equipment was already over 20 years old and had begun to deteriorate. However, they demanded that the procurement be conducted transparently in regards policy, financing and technical details.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Samsung, Sony to form partnership
Samsung, Sony to form partnership SEOUL: South Korean microchip giant Samsung Electronics said on Monday it was in talks with Japan's Sony Corp. on business ties in flat panel operations. "We have been in talks with Sony over ways to cooperate in LCD operations," a Samsung spokesman said. "But details of the measures have not been decided, including whether or not to set up a joint venture," he added.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Goldman Sachs eyes China Pacific Life
Goldman Sachs eyes China Pacific Life BEIJING: U.S. investment banking giant Goldman Sachs Group is in talks to buy up to a 10 percent stake in China Pacific Life Insurance for an estimated 2.7 billion yuan (US$326 million), state press reported on Monday. Goldman Sachs Asia has appointed a U.S. investment fund, the Carlyle Group's Hong Kong division, to manage due diligence on the proposed acquisition, the 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing informed sources.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'Refugees forced into sex slavery'
'Refugees forced into sex slavery' Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra At least 1,000 female Acehnese refugees, who fled to neighboring North Sumatra because of war in their homeland, have been forced to become sex workers but the police are doing nothing about it, activists say. The women, allegedly being trafficked as prostitutes, are generally aged between 16 and 26, they added.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Challenges for Indonesian media people
Challenges for Indonesian media people Ardimas Sasdi, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Berkeley, California The phenomenal development in information technology (IT) over the last two decades, accelerated by the Internet, has changed many aspects of human activity. In journalism, an agent of change in society, the entire editorial department, from reporters to editors, have no choice but adapt to the fast-changing conditions that have led to the existence of real-time news.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
E. Timor police kill ex-militiamen
E. Timor police kill ex-militiamen ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara: Authorities said on Monday they were increasing security in the border area between East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and East Timor after the killing of a former pro- Jakarta militiamen, blamed on police from the neighboring country. The East Timorese police have been accused of shooting dead Vegas Bibilitu, a resident from Turiskain village, Raihat subdistrict, Belu regency, on Friday. Kupang Wirasakti military chief Col.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
KPU told to limit media campaign
KPU told to limit media campaign JAKARTA: The General Elections Commission has been urged to immediately issue a ruling limiting political party's media campaigns to prevent illegal dominations. "We want the mass media to give all election contestants equal chances to campaign by limiting the number of media campaigns," Indonesian Broadcasting Watch executive director Agung Supriyo said over the weekend.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Landslide victims yet to be found, official refuses financial aid
Landslide victims yet to be found, official refuses financial aid Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor Rescue workers were unable on Monday to recover the bodies of five sand miners who went missing in a landslide in Bogor, West Java, as fears of more landslides halted Monday's rescue operations. The five went missing after a landslide struck a sand quarry at the foot of a rocky hill in Kampung Lengkong, Pasir Buncir subdistrict, Caringin, Bogor, on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Pharmaceutical industry: Torn between business and conscience
Pharmaceutical industry: Torn between business and conscience T. Hidayat, Contributor, Jakarta Medicines are bitter, so goes one Indonesian saying. However, the makers of medicines -- the pharmaceutical industry -- is having a sweet time businesswise. The industry was even unaffected by the economic crisis that hit the country in 1997. The Rp 4 trillion sales figure of 1997 increased by 25 percent to Rp 5 trillion in 1998.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'Encyclopedia Mahathir' launched
'Encyclopedia Mahathir' launched MALAYSIA: A 10-volume encyclopedia of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ideas has been launched ahead of his retirement next month, local media reported on Monday. Available in Arabic and English, the encyclopedia is a compilation of the veteran leader's speeches and ideas on globalization, politics and other issues, the official Bernama news agency said.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Entertainer arrested for marijuana
Entertainer arrested for marijuana JAKARTA: Police arrested well-known entertainer Avi, 30, on Friday afternoon on suspicion of drug possession. Avi, whose real name is Joko WS, was arrested by police at her rental home on Jl. Gerai in Cipete, South Jakarta, at 3:30 p.m. Officers also arrested another suspect, identified as Januar. The South Jakarta Police's top drug cop, Adj. Comr. Sutana, said on Monday that Avi was being charged with drug possession.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Man swallows dentures after headache
Man swallows dentures after headache BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: A man was in critical condition on Monday after unintentionally swallowing his false teeth along with medicine to get rid of an excruciating headache. The 45-year-old man, who was not identified, nearly choked on a set of his three false teeth and was rushed to hospital in Banjarmasin, the capital city of South Kalimantan.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'U.S.' barring RI access to Hambali may hamper case'
'U.S.' barring RI access to Hambali may hamper case' Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The United States' reluctance to allow Indonesia to question Hambali, the suspected leader of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network, could hamper the prosecution's case against him, warns a legal expert. "Authorities here could prosecute Hambali based on the U.S.' questioning, which has been conducting an interrogation based on a list of questions submitted by Indonesia.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
BPK audits customs office over possible irregularities
BPK audits customs office over possible irregularities Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) will conduct an investigative audit of import duties collected by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise after discovering suspected irregularities during an earlier audit. The deputy chairman of the BPK, Bambang Wahyudi, said the agency had found "indications of irregularities" in the collection of import duties during a routine audit of the directorate.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Traffic jams near vihara
Traffic jams near vihara On Sept. 11, 2003, while in a taxi from Grogol, we took the toll road heading toward the Ancol Barat/Mangga Dua exit. We could see from the toll road that the road before the Ancol Barat exit, which lies in front of the Buddhist Vihara Indonesia, was jammed with the parked cars of temple visitors. The vehicles occupied two lanes, starting from only a few meters from the exit of the toll road, right up to the vihara.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
RI students deny terror links
RI students deny terror links The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Two Indonesian students arrested in Pakistan denied links to any terrorist group on Monday and insisted that they entered the country on scholarships from the Pakistani government. Rusman Gunawan, the younger brother of alleged terrorist Riduan Isamuddin, alias Hambali, and Muhammad Saifuddin said all they were guilty of was failing to renew their student visas.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Youths meet to boost nationalism
Youths meet to boost nationalism JAKARTA: Three national meetings of youth organizations will be held in Aceh, Jakarta, and Papua as part of Youths Oath Day on Oct. 28. The meetings were expected to produce a resolution for Indonesian youths to help resolve problems of nationhood and statehood. National Committee of Indonesian Youths (KNPI) chairman Idrus Marham said on Monday that the meetings would be attended by about 200 youths from KNPI regional chapters and other organizations.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Troops intensify raids on GAM hideouts in Sabang
Troops intensify raids on GAM hideouts in Sabang The Jakarta Post, Jakarta More than 150 military and police personnel continued the hunt on Monday for at least 15 separatist rebels in a mountainous area of Sabang regency, Aceh province, where the military earlier launched an air strike on their hideout. Sabang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ilsaruddin was quoted by Antara as saying the rebels were believed to be carrying at least 14 firearms.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Strike ends, KPC expects full production next week
Strike ends, KPC expects full production next week Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After going on strike for several weeks, about 2,300 workers of East Kalimantan-based PT Kaltim Prima Coal returned to work on Sunday morning. KPC's management expects the coal mining firm to be in full production some time next week.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Supervising central bank
Supervising central bank The amendments to the 1999 Bank Indonesia Act that were proposed by the government in late 2000 were designed to have been approved by the House of Representatives by January, 2001 at the latest because the proposed changes would affect only several articles that would make the central bank's board of governors more accountable. However, the planned amendments are still pending.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Romanian team in town for talks
Romanian team in town for talks JAKARTA: A high-powered delegation from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived here on Sunday to hold talks with Indonesia on bilateral matters and international issues of common interest. Romanian Ambassador to Indonesia George Savuica said over the weekend that the delegation was led by Petre Cordos, director general for bilateral affairs.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
RI Lacks services for poor: World Bank
RI Lacks services for poor: World Bank Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Services for the poor in Indonesia are still insufficient and the government has yet to allocate money to make services more available for the poor, the World Bank says. World Bank's lead economist Jeffrey Hammel said that as in other developing countries, services in Indonesia sometimes still failed the poor. "It means, services are not available sometimes.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
18 in race for Tangerang mayor
18 in race for Tangerang mayor TANGERANG: A total of 18 mayoral and 16 deputy mayoral candidates in Tangerang municipality will contest the elections for the 2003-2008 period. The elections will be held before the end of November at the Municipal Council building on Jl. Satria Sudirman, Tangerang. Some 53 people took registration forms but only 38 had returned them by Saturday's deadline.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Rabies kills Maluku children
Rabies kills Maluku children AMBON, Maluku: The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) expressed on Monday grave concern about a rabies epidemic in Maluku province, where 11 people have died from the animal-borne disease since 1999. Unicef Ambon branch chief Willy Kumurur said children in Ambon had faced numerous threats since the outbreak of violent sectarian clashes in the Maluku archipelago in January 1999.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
RI vows to protect agro-products
RI vows to protect agro-products Evi Mariani and Johannes Simbolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has vowed to continue protecting certain agricultural commodities against liberalization and will align with tens of other poor countries to block any efforts at the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks to liberalize trade on the commodities.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
44,000 babies malnourished in C. Java
44,000 babies malnourished in C. Java SEMARANG: As many as 44,633 babies in Central Java province are suffering from malnutrition this year, local health office head Khrisnajaya has said. Of that number, at least 4,378 babies were very poorly nourished, he added. He said the malnourished were among around 290,065 babies in the province, of which only 239,848 were receiving barely adequate nutrition and 5,606 others were better nourished.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Key ingredients: Scientific, safe and honest
Key ingredients: Scientific, safe and honest Irwan Hidayat, Contributor, Jakarta "Back to nature". This credo is gaining more popularity in recent years. This and the abundant information on health currently available have triggered an increased preference for herbal medicines. To meet the growing demand, a number of pharmaceutical companies worldwide have launched various herbal- based products.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Secularism is to blame
Secularism is to blame From Media Indonesia Indonesians are unfortunate. For several years they have been suffering from a protracted economic crisis characterized by price hikes in almost every aspect of life, ranging from education and daily necessities, to electricity and fuel. At the same time, the government officials that should be helping them have used their positions to enrich themselves. In short, government officials have made the people cash cows.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Cemeti Art House: A place for artists with ideas
Cemeti Art House: A place for artists with ideas Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Contemporary artists Nindityo Adipurnomo and wife Mella Jaarsma never thought the Cemeti Art House, which they established in 1988 as a non-profit institution, would endure for more than a decade, or become one of the city's most respected art galleries. The art house is alive and kicking, having been routinely housing selected exhibitions.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
ASEAN to sign historic concord in Bali
ASEAN to sign historic concord in Bali Moch. N. Kurniawan and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to adopt the draft of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), paving the way for the signing of the Bali Concord II. The paper draft on the AEC was endorsed at the end of a two- day ASEAN Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) on Sunday in Jakarta.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
It is indeed difficult to manage the country
It is indeed difficult to manage the country Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has several times complained about how heavy her duty is as head of state. She has already expressed dissatisfaction over government bureaucracy and the performance of cabinet ministers. This daily has long reminded that the structure of our bureaucracy is no longer fit to be used in the present situation.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
'Torture footage' at school causes outcry
'Torture footage' at school causes outcry A'an Suryana and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In the wake of the public outcry over the death of student Wahyu Hidayat, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Monday it had taken over the management of the Public Administration Institute (STPDN). The public outcry increased after SCTV television broadcast on Sunday footage of students at the institute beating fellow students.
Tue, 23 Sep 2003, 00:00 WIB
Traffic congestion in Bintaro
Traffic congestion in Bintaro From Bisnis Indonesia Under the assumption that the toll road would help ease access from Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) to Jakarta through Bintaro, as part of the integrated Jakarta Outer Ring Road, the real estate developer opened up the BSD-Bintaro toll road without taking into account the road load and the carrying capacity of the Bintaro area and parts of South Jakarta (foreign ministry housing compound, Veteran, Tanah Kusir and the surrounding areas).