Govt finally admits to bird flu dangers Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government confirmed on Tuesday that avian influenza, which has been killing millions of chickens here, was the dangerous H5N1 strain that could also kill humans. However, it was quick to insist that so far there were no signs that the disease had infected humans. "The strain is pathogenic upon poultry and if it mutates, it could be transmitted to humans ...

Part 2 of 2 Indonesia's 2004 elections: Predicting is harder than ever Jusuf Wanandi, Member, Board of Trustees , Centre for Strategic and International Studies, (CSIS), Jakarta Megawati, the incumbent president, has the advantage of the job, high visibility and name recognition as the daughter of former President Sukarno, and wide recognition as an opposition leader against President Soeharto. On top of all these things, she has mobilized a lot of funding for the elections.

Improving the welfare of local communities Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has started to gain ground in Indonesia with more companies seeing social accountability as a vital component of management. Although many CSR practices are in fact efforts to appease clients, the trend toward social accountability has been quite promising.

Retired officers protest eviction Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra Three families of retired Air Force officers set up tents at Maimoon Palace, Medan, North Sumatra, to protest their recent eviction from their official homes on Jl. Mustang. The protesters said they had done that because they had nowhere to stay after their houses were bulldozed on Monday by dozens of Air Force officers. Dozens of other houses there had earlier been bulldozed, but only the families of Col.

TV Program: Wednesday, February 4, 2004 .TB.30" 1.00" TVRI .TB.30" .90" 6:00 a.m. News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Entertainment News: Selebrita 8:00 Music: Sik Asik 9:00 Entertainment News: Show Biz 10:00 TV Drama: Nostalgia 12:30 p.m.

JP/5/ugm University educates poor people about elections Sri Wahyuni The Jakarta Post Yogyakarta Gadjah Mada University launched a political education program on Tuesday for poor urban people in a bid to prevent them from being manipulated and abused by political parties. The program is to educate low-income people to become "critical voters" in the 2004 legislative and presidential elections, said the deputy dean of the university's School of Political and Social Sciences, Pratikno.

Bird flu has little impact on food vendors Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The current outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu, and widespread media coverage apparently have not affected street vendors selling foods using chicken as a main ingredient. "I heard about the bird flu outbreak on television, but I don't think people are too worried about it, because my sales haven't dropped," Akim, a chicken noodle soup vendor at Muara Karang Market, North Jakarta, said on Monday.

1. FIRE: 28 pt, 4 cols, 1 x 37 Big blaze leaves 1,000 homeless in Ancol 2. FLU: 55 pt, 3 cols, 2 x 15 Govt finally admits to bird flu dangers 3. MINA: 32 pt, 5 cols, 1 x 36 Mina victims' bodies won't be repatriated 4. TRADE: 28 pt, 2 cols, 2 x 16 Exports in 2003 increase again: BPS 5. DENGUE: 28 pt, 3 cols, 2 x 28 Dengue fever proliferates in Java despite repeated efforts to curb

Blatant discrimination In his letter to The Jakarta Post Didier Gazelle writes that he finds it unbelievable and intolerable discrimination that, amongst a handful of other nationals, Belgians now have to apply for a visa at the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels (and only there can they obtain a visa). I fully agree with Gazelle's statement, but there is more bad news.

Dengue fever proliferates despite government efforts Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Repeated warnings from the government to the public to take preventive measures against dengue fever at the beginning and the end of the rainy season, apparently have not done any good as around 300 Jakartans still suffered from the disease this year alone.

10 years sought for GAM 'treasurers' in court trial Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra Two alleged Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members who prosecutors say funded a grenade attack on a Medan hotel should be sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Medan District Court was told on Tuesday.

Fewer people take busway amid ticketing confusion Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The busway service saw a decline in the number of passengers during its work-day operation on Tuesday, in contrast with the two-week free trial period. The Rp 2,500 (30 U.S. cents) single-trip fare, effective Feb. 1, was definitely not an issue because on Sunday and Monday passengers still enjoyed the Idul Adha holidays by crowding the busway buses and shelters.

Students to name crooked politicians SEMARANG: A student group in Semarang, Central Java, promised on Tuesday to announce the names of at least five unscrupulous politicians from the province ahead of this year's general elections. "That's our commitment. Those five politicians are currently serving as members of the Central Java legislative council," said Adi Fajar from the Student Executive Board Network in Semarang.

Asia crosses fingers against bird flu tourism hit Dominic Whiting Reuters Vientiane Senior Asian tourism officials, scared a bird flu epidemic sweeping the region will hit an industry that employs millions, sought on Tuesday to lure more holiday-makers by promising discounts and safety from the virus.

Thai low-cost airline AirAsia lifts off BANGKOK: Thailand's newest budget carrier AirAsia, 51-percent owned by the family firm of premier Thaksin Shinawatra, lifted off on Tuesday with its first domestic flight to northern Chiang Mai, officials said. The inaugural flight departed with about 100 passengers on a 148-seat Boeing 737-300, with some paying as little as 99 baht (US$2.50) for promotional tickets.

Tourist arrivals fell in 2003 by 9.8% The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Despite a sharp rise in December, tourist arrivals in the country throughout 2003 dropped by 9.8 percent from 2002 as the industry was still suffering from numerous setbacks, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said on Tuesday. In December, the agency recorded a rise of close to 20 percent in tourist arrivals to 365,440 from 305,519 in November, bringing the full-year figure to a paltry 3.69 million.

Health and education remain top priorities Companies that are not natural resources-based are also showing a strong commitment to promoting social accountability in their operations. However, most of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, which are carried out through companies' community development programs, are still focused on education and health programs.

Dow Jones Jakarta Indonesian shares ended sharply lower on Tuesday on continuing bird flu concerns, which also hurt regional stock markets, dealers said. The Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index ended down 3.0 percent, or 22.613 points, at 730.319 points. Volume was 950.52 million shares valued at Rp 1.53 trillion (US$181 million). Losers led gainers 129 to 17 with 60 shares unchanged.

University educates the poor on elections Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Gadjah Mada University launched a political education program on Tuesday for poor urban people in a bid to prevent them from being manipulated and abused by political parties. The program is to educate low-income people to become "critical voters" in the 2004 legislative and presidential elections, said the deputy dean of the university's School of Political and Social Sciences, Pratikno.

Amien-Susilo, an ideal pairing? From Koran Tempo Reform of the nation is going nowhere, so the idea of Amien Rais and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the country's prospective leaders seems appropriate in order to restart the process. Amien Rais has been one of the initiators of reform. He is legally flawless, a professor, not part of the New Order and has a good commitment to reform. Though some dislike him, at least he deserves a chance to prove himself.