Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange(in rupiah) on Feb.26, 2004 ____________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading Volume _____________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Alfindo Tbk 1,125 50 46,500 Adindo Foresta 50 0 0 AGIS Tbk 110 5 1,121,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 85 0 338,500 Alakasa Industrindo 190 0 0 Alfa Retailindo Tbk 1,150 0 0 Alter Abadi Tbk 35 0 0 Alumindo Light 350 0 0...

1. BPK: 2 LINES, 15 COUNTS AGO loses most taxpayer money 2. BOYCE: 1 LINE, 24 COUNTS Hidayat cleared of terror link 3. DENGUE: 3 LINES, 14 COUNTS It's official, Mega declares dengue a problem 4. TWINS: 2 LINES, 21 COUNTS Mom prays for conjoined daughters as chances slim

PGN plans to sell $350m bonds PGN plans to sell as much as $350 million of 10-year bonds by October, its second overseas sale this year to raise money for expansion. "We have informed investors that bought our bonds last time about this sale plan," PGN's president WMP Simanjuntak told reporters in Jakarta. The bonds may be sold between March and October, he said. PGN sold $125 million of bonds on Feb. 13, after cutting the sale from an initial target of $150 million.

Supreme Court justices should go From Koran Tempo The Supreme Court has pronounced its decision, which is final, in spite of wider arguments for and against it. Students protesting the decision should not be mistaken when voicing their demands. They should urge that the People's Consultative Assembly issue a decree on early retirement of judges.

Public service and law enforcement From Suara Karya In declaring 2004 the year of public service, State Minister for Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin emphasized the need to treat the public not merely as recipients of service but as loyal customers. The question raised by critical citizens is: Which customers? Good citizens are certainly different from those who are fond of bribing and violating applicable laws. Therefore, law enforcement should be prioritized to serve good citizens.

RP looking forward to talks on peacekeeping force Agencies, Manila The Philippines is "looking forward" to discussions on the creation of a regional peacekeeping force with fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, AFP reported from Manila on Thursday Indonesia this week pushed for the creation of the peace- keeping force, that it said could be a part of a larger ASEAN Security Community platform endorsed by ASEAN leaders during a summit in Bali last year.

Police to set up HIV/AIDS info center JAKARTA: The Jakarta Police narcotics division is to set up an HIV/AIDS public information center next month, following the establishment of a narcotics information center three months ago. "The planned HIV/AIDS information center will answer questions from the public, who can contact us through our 112 hotline or send us messages via cellular phone at 08179996666," narcotics division chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Carlo Brix Tewu said on Thursday.

It's official, Mega declares dengue a problem The Jakarta Post, Jakarta President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her sorrow and offered help to the families of the country's dengue victims on Thursday -- 255 deaths, thousands of cases and two months after the beginning of the epidemic. In a televised speech, the President offered a prayer for the victims.

KPU to probe flaws in elections preparations Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After a series of problems in the provision of election materials, the General Elections Commission (KPU) said it would establish two working committees to monitor and investigate possible mistakes in the preparation for the elections. KPU member Mulyana W.

Associated Press Hanoi U.S. business delegation said on Thursday that Vietnam's growing economy is ripe for foreign investment. "For American business, this is the year to focus on Vietnam. Vietnam is a stable, fast-growing and promising market for American companies," said Ernest Bower, president of the U.S.- Asean Business Council, a private business lobbying group. The delegation, which included representatives from a dozen major U.S.

Govt urged to review poverty policy paper A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Several non-governmental organizations (NGO) grouped under the Indonesian Antipoverty Movement (Gapri) demanded on Thursday that the government invite wider public participation in producing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). "If the government does not review the PRSP, we will quit the government-sanctioned team which has been working to draw up the paper," Gapri coordinator Muchtar Abas said.

Stamping out tin smuggling From Media Indonesia Stamping out smuggling is a difficult task that must be supported by all parties concerned; otherwise, it will be futile. Tin has been smuggled out of Indonesia since the 18th century, when Indonesia was still a Dutch colony. Today, tin smuggling is increasing in frequency and volume, especially because a lot of non-traditional tin mines are operated by individuals.

Cambodia to try JI suspects CAMBODIA: Five foreign and Cambodian men accused of belonging to the regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and having links to al-Qaeda will go on trial in Phnom Penh on Friday, lawyers said. Three of the defendants, an Egyptian and two Thais, were arrested last May ahead of a visit to Cambodia by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, as police announced they had broken up a radical Islamic network.

Experts boo mishmash city traffic policies Damar Harsanto and Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Experts on urban transportation criticized on Thursday the city administration's project to widen main thoroughfares Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin, saying the project reflected the administration's inconsistency in its so-called strategy to improve public transportation.

Outlook for RI bond stable: Moody's JAKARTA: International ratings agency Moody's assigned on Thursday a B2 rating to the government's new sovereign bond, with a stable outlook. Moody's praised improvements in the country's economy and external financial position in recent years as a strong signal on the part of the government toward reform programs, a statement said.

Fallout of Pakistani revelations on North Korea weapons trade Phillip C. Saunders, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Washington Recent revelations about Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's involvement in a global network selling fissile material production technology and a nuclear weapons design have highlighted Pakistan's role as a proliferator.

AGO loses most taxpayer money Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Attorney General's Office (AGO), the nation's frontline in eradicating corruption and guarding the state coffers, was declared by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on Thursday as the country's top state "money abuser" last year, in the category of state fund management.

Researchers seek credibility audit of polling bodies Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The credibility of pre-election polls has become cause for concern among observers, as polls on the same subject have provided disparate outcomes. Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) member Ade Armando urged that polling organizations be audited to assess their independence, as their work could greatly influence public opinion and electoral platforms by parties contesting the elections.

On WTO Efforts by World Trade Organization members to resume global trade talks that broke down at a ministerial meeting in September are gaining momentum. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is urging WTO members to restart stalled international trade talks after presenting developing nations with concessions on farm subsidies and other issues. It will be difficult for the WTO to accomplish its goal of reaching a final agreement on the new round of talks by Jan. 1, 2005. The U.S.

Marriott bomber Sardona gets 10 years in prison The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A panel of judges at Bengkulu district court sentenced on Thursday defendant Sardona Siliwangi, 23, to 10 years in jail for his role in the Marriott bombing last year. In his verdict, presiding judge Aljaman Sutopo said that Sardona was proven guilty of accepting and storing explosives to perpetrate an act of terrorism, which was a violation of the Law on Terrorism 2003.

Indian Navy calls at Surabaya INDONESIA: The Indian Naval Ship Tir will be in Surabaya, East Java, on a visit from Friday through Sunday to improve relations between the two countries' navies. The ship is on a two-month training cruise under the command of Col. Rajeev Girotra. During their stay in Surabaya, Indian naval officers would hold talks with their Indonesian counterparts at the Navy Eastern Fleet Command headquarters and Surabaya Naval Base, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said.

PBSI ensures security for Thomas, Uber Cup event The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Following the growing concern over security issues during the final round of the Thomas and Uber Cup in Jakarta in May, the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has assured everyone that it would be safe for foreign participants.

Top seeds cruise into Cigna quarterfinals Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta On the third day of the US$11,800 Cigna Open tennis tournament, all but one of the seeded contenders breezed through to the quarterfinals. Top seed Hendri Susilo Pramono continued his winning run to advance to the last eight with a crushing 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Sandy Purnomo at the Jakarta Hilton International's Executive Club here on Thursday. Second seed Suwandi followed the Indonesian No.

Australian lawmakers to aid election JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri met with visiting Australian parliament members on Thursday, and they told her that bilateral relations would remain strong regardless of the outcome of the upcoming elections. "Whatever might happen in the elections, we will be a good friend to our nearest neighbor Indonesia," delegation chairman David Jull said after meeting with Megawati.