Where to go in Bali for Thursday, February 5, 2004 .TB.30" 1.0" Exhibition * Photographs Exhibition featuring works by Indonesian noted photographer Rama Surya and William R Durman, Cottage Art, Jl By Pass Ngurah Rai 888XX, Pemogan, Denpasar, until Feb. 20. Celebration Celebrate the month of love at Waterbom Park, Jl. Kartika Plaza, Tuban, with romantic and fun activities "Searching Diamond with Goldmart" and the oriental cabaret show on Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 11 a.m. onwards.

Tangerang to hold arts festival TANGERANG: Tangerang municipality administration will hold its first-ever, three-day arts festival to commemorate its 11th anniversary, which falls on Feb. 28. "The festival will be staged from Feb. 25 to Feb. 28 and will feature various arts and cultural performances," said Asep Ferry Bastian, a member of the organizing committee, on Wednesday.

PDI-P, Golkar foreseen to shrink Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Noted party leaders warned on Wednesday that it was too early to call the upcoming election a contest between the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, saying the people's awareness regarding their voting rights has increased.

Storm sweeps three provinces The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Semarang/Mataram Severe storms set off by Australia's Gusty Storm hit many parts of Java and the province of West Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday and Wednesday, claiming at least two lives, damaging hundreds of houses and disrupting land and water transportation. The worst cases occurred in the province of East Java, where at least one toddler was killed as of Wednesday afternoon.

PBB aims for clean government with sharia The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Muslim-based Crescent Star Party (PBB) vowed on Wednesday to woo voters with sharia and realize its political ambition in the general elections. PBB Secretary General MS Kaban said his party was convinced that sharia would help bring in a clean government.

Good forestry policy needed The National Movement for Forest and Land Rehabilitation recently launched by the government is worthy of praise. President Megawati Soekarnoputri reiterated the necessity to ensure successful reforestation and rehabilitation efforts. However, such an appeal is not the first to have been made. Despite this, cases of illegal logging and natural disasters caused by forest denudation continue to fill the media.

Conflict, transportation threaten polls in Papua Nethy Dharma Somba and Ridwan Max Sijabat The Jakarta Post Jayapura/Jakarta The increasingly complex Papua conflict in addition to transportation and financial problems are the three main issues threatening the upcoming general elections in the country's easternmost resource-rich province.

David E. Sumual Analyst Danareksa Research Institute Jakarta 2. Sayid -- The influence of the Joyoboyo prophecy 2 x 30 The influence of the Joyoboyo prophecy on the current situation Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo Former Governor National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Jakarta

U.S. names 63 states as eligible for new aid Agence France-Presse, Washington The United States on Tuesday named 63 countries including Indonesia eligible to share billions of dollars in U.S. aid under a new program aimed at rewarding developing nations which commit to democratic and free market reform. A billion dollars has already been made available by Congress for fiscal year 2004 and President George W. Bush on Monday asked lawmakers to approve US$2.5 billion for the account in fiscal 2005.

Marriott bomber defense delayed JAKARTA: Lawyers acting for Moh. Rais, a defendant in the Marriott bombing last August, failed on Wednesday to present their client's defense plea at the Central Jakarta District Court. Although the prosecutors expressed their disagreement, presiding judge Johannes Eter Binti adjourned the trial to Monday to give time for the lawyers to prepare their defense plea, on condition that there would be no more delay. Rais lawyer Moh.

Matahari to open eight hypermarkets Bloomberg, Jakarta PT Matahari Putra Prima, Indonesia's biggest retailer by sales, plans to open eight hypermarkets this year, stepping up competition for retail sales with Carrefour SA and Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd.

More reasons to reject Indonesian schools proposal V.K. Chin, The Star, Asia News Network, Selangor, Malaysia It is reasonable that the government should consider very carefully the implications of an Indonesian proposal to set up estate schools for the children of their nationals working in the plantation sector. President Megawati Soekarnoputri had made the proposal to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the Prime Minister's visit to the republic recently.

The danger of elections delay With the general election just 60 days away, it is understandable that even an official at the General Elections Commission (KPU) is concerned the April 5 elections may have to be delayed. KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said on Monday that whichever of the 20 consortia bidding to print the 600 million ballots for the elections would be unable to meet the Feb. 1 deadline to begin the printing, and asked that the deadline be moved back to Feb. 5.

Syndicate smuggles millions of dollars of RI wood Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta An illegal Malaysian logging syndicate has smuggled millions of dollars of endangered wood from Indonesia onto the international market, an investigation has revealed.

* Headlines:Pancasila yet to be commonly understood 2 * National:'Too early to tell election results' 4 * Archipelago: Storm sweeps three provinces5 * Opinion: The future of democracy in Indonesia7 * City: Rustam vague on tinted windows 8 * Sports:China shows red card to doping in sport 9 * World:Bird flu death toll rises to 15; China a major worry 11 * Business:U.S. urges Indonesia to curb piracy 13 * Features: Gas-electric hybrids pin hopes on fuel cells 17

1. AKBAR: 55 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 11 Supreme Court leaves everyone guessing over Akbar's case or Supreme Court leaves Akbar's verdict hanging 2. TERRORISM: 40 pt, 5 cols, 1 x 33 Better intelligence gathering called for 3. KERRY: 32 pt, 2 cols, 2 x 16 John Kerry romps in Democratic primaries 4. ENVIRONMENT: 28 pt, 5 cols, 1 x 45 Illegal syndicate smuggles millions of dollars of RI wood

Prima to face Suzuki first up in Davis Cup Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Prima Simpatiaji was on Wednesday handed the chance to steal a point from Japan in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone World Group I first round when he was drawn to face visiting No. 1 Takao Suzuki in the opening singles match here on Friday. Prima's match will be followed by a tie between Indonesia No.

Bali immigration rejects 10 foreigners without visas I Wayan Juniartha and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Jakarta The first four days of the new visa policy have seen 10 tourists denied entry into the country's major tourist destination Bali, but officials say the policy has paid dividends. Fifty-one foreigners were refused entry nationwide in the first two days of the scheme, which the government said had generated over US$140,000.

PNG national nabbed for assault JAYAPURA, Papua: Jayapura Police arrested Frans Yoku, a Papua New Guinea (PNG) national, for assaulting Papua resident Nimbrod Yoku in July last year in Jayapura. Frans was arrested in the Sentani area of Jayapura on Monday, after he had been on the run in Papua for months. Jayapura Police chief Comr.

BI benchmark rate down to 7.77% The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate to a new low of 7.77 percent during the regular weekly auction of the Bank Indonesia SBI promissory notes on Wednesday. The interest rate of the one-month SBI notes was at 7.86 percent in the previous week.

Rustam vague on tinted windows Damar Harsanto and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In another blatant show of bureaucratic ineptitude, City Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendy denied on Wednesday that his office had been working on the issuance of a gubernatorial decree to regulate the opacity of tinted films for car windows, as he had stated on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. He instead claimed that his office was trying to secure a ministerial decree to support the policy.

Conflict, transportation threaten general elections in Papua Nethy Dharma Somba and Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta The increasingly complex Papua conflict in addition to transportation and financial problems are the three main issues threatening the upcoming general elections in the country's easternmost resource-rich province.

U.S. urges Indonesia to curb piracy Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The United States renewed calls on Thursday for Indonesia to protect intellectual property rights, citing that piracy had not only cost U.S. companies hundreds of millions of dollars annually but also discouraged potential investors from coming to Indonesia. Assistant secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance of the U.S. Department of Commerce William H.

- PBR aims for a civil society that is prosperous materially and spiritually, independent and democratic, and blessed by Allah in a unitary republic based on Pancasila.

Part 1 of 2 The future of democracy in Indonesia Baladas Ghoshal, Professor of Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Indonesia's transition to democracy in the post-Soeharto era has evoked various responses and reactions from outsiders and Indonesians alike. The outsiders, particularly its neighbors, fear the knock-on effects of prolonged political instability in Indonesia.

Trade and industry ministry expects 7% rise in exports The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After growing by 5.2 percent last year, the government targets a 7 percent increase in non-oil and gas exports this year, banking hopes on more robust demands from China -- the world's newest economic giant. "Last year, we managed to earn US$47.3 billion from our non- oil and gas exports. We expect exports to grow by 7 percent or more this year," Minister of Trade and Industry Rini MS Soewandi said on Wednesday.

Burglary of BCA ATM leaves Rp 460m in losses The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A Bank Central Asia (BCA) Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) at a Indomaret mini-market at Jatimulya housing complex, Bekasi municipality, was burglarized, causing Rp 460 million (US$54,762) in losses to the country's third largest bank. BCA official Chaerudin has filed a report with the Bekasi Police. He said an operator from BCA headquarters asked a security guard around 2 a.m.

Apindo asks govt to revise social security bill P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has criticized the government-proposed social security system due to the lack of clarity on who will finance the program and an overlapping with existing benefits. The government has completed the bill on a National Social Security System (SJSN), and it is now in the hands of the House of Representatives for deliberation.

1. MASE -- 1 x 45 Dewa Maseraman: A merry gathering of gods 2. CONRAD -- 2 x 30 New Conrad hotel a sign of Bali's economic recovery

And six years later the reform remains fickle Elwin Tobing, The Indonesian Institute, Jakarta, elwin@theindonesianinstitute.org So here we are. Six years after we shouted reformasi (reform) desperately. And, six years after we started dreaming of a new Indonesia -- less poverty, less corruption, more jobs and tougher law enforcement. Six years have passed, our future is still uncertain. The above four indicators have not been satisfied.