Ali Alatas to leave for Myanmar soon JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri is sending special envoy Ali Alatas to Myanmar to seek further explanation on the ongoing democratization and reconciliation process in the neighboring country. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Friday that as chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia needed to keep abreast of developments in the military- ruled country.

Malaysia questions ramin report P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A senior Malaysian diplomat doubted the validity of a joint report released by local non-governmental organization Telapak and the London-based Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) on the smuggling of Indonesian ramin wood (Gonystylus bancanus), which is classified as endangered, to Malaysia.

Popularizing elections From Media Indonesia A survey conducted by Cetro, a non-government organization, has shown the greater part of the population remains uninformed about how to vote in the general elections, which will take place in less than 100 days. This lack of public knowledge is due to the low profile methods adopted to promote the 2004 election by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Muchtar Pakpahan tries again to win workers' support Anton Doni, Head, Research and Development Unit, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Freedom of expression following the fall of the New Order government led to unprecedented strikes among civil servants, employees at state-owned companies, bank employees and other white-collar workers. Unions popped up everywhere, finally joining those developed since the 1980s in the manufacturing sector and others among blue-collar workers.

Hotels gear up for St. Valentine YOGYAKARTA: February is upon us. Many consider this the month of love. And to participate in the amorous time, star-rated hotels here are offering various packages to celebrate the popular Valentine's Day. Five-star Melia Purosani Hotel, for example, is offering a Valentine's Package for Rp 980,000 net per room per night for the whole month of February.

Is Jakarta's new busway system bound for glory or failure M. Ali, Transportation Researcher, Cunningham Research Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom The statement: "Traffic problems have just got much worse in Jakarta!" came from a person who has to travel from his home in South Jakarta to his place of work in an office tower on Jl. Thamrin in the center of the city. Naturally you would question his use of the word "just".

Hippo dies in duel with son Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta suffered a serious loss on Wednesday when one of its two hippopotami died in a fight with the other animal. Two days after the death, zoo veterinarian Wardani confirmed on Friday that the hippo named Omon died in a "common territorial fight with his son, Jacky".

PPIB brings fresh prospects to elections The Jakarta Post, Jakarta As a newcomer on the political scene, the New Indonesia Alliance Party (PPIB) has set out to garner the 3 percent electoral threshold necessary to proceed to the presidential election. While this may be a prudent first step to establishing its presence, it does not mean that they have no further ambitions nor the courage to drive them.

We are not amused I must say, I fail to see The Jakarta Post's purpose in printing the article titled Sumatra cow almost jumps over the moon on Feb. 3, 2004 Not exactly news, nor was it amusing. If it was to show concern for animals, it hardly does that. Though it did point out how animals seem to certainly have the same horror of death as humans (which of course then makes it logical that most of their other emotions would be much the same).

Poe approved to run for president PHILIPPINE: Election officials in the Philippines affirmed on Friday an earlier ruling that movie icon Fernando Poe is qualified to run for president, throwing out a petition to disqualify him on citizenship grounds. The Commission on Elections voted unanimously to deny a motion alleging that Poe, the front runner in opinion polls ahead of the May 10 election, is a U.S. citizen and thus barred by the constitution from standing.

1. Jusuf -- Myanmar: Difficult road to reconciliation and democracy 2 X 23 Myanmar: Difficult road to reconciliation, democracy Jusuf Wanandi Member, Board of Trustees Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta 2.

Military replaces its legislator JAKARTA: Maj. Gen. Willem T Da Costa, a legislator from the Military/Police faction, was officially replaced on Friday by colleague Maj. Gen. M. Ali Fathan as he is due to retire. The replacement took place at a modest ceremony headed by House Speaker Akbar Tandjung here. In his speech, Akbar said that the new legislator should quickly adapt to his role as a member of the House of Representatives.

Rupiah Rates Feb.6 Banknote rates TT rates Selling Buying Selling Buying Australian dollar 1 6,819.90 6,053.93 6,470.90 6,402.69 Brunei dollar 1 5,277.12 4,684.74 5,007.08 4,954.63 Canadian dollar 1 6,691.09 5,941.26 6,348.68 6,283.54 Swiss franc 1 7,165.16 6,360.51 6,798.49 6,726.94 Danish krone 1 1,507.57 1,338.79 1,430.42 1,415.92 Euro 1 11,233.15 9,975.66 10,658.31 10,550.36 Poundsterling 1 16,406.25 14,569.17 15,566.69 15,408.50 Hong Kong dollar 1 1,151.38 1,022.60 1,092.46 1,081.51...

TV Today: Saturday, February 7, 2004 TVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Berita Pagi 7:30 Cartoon 10:00 TV Drama: Nostalgia 11:30 Battle of Wits 12:30 p.m. Music 1:00 News: Berita Siang 1:30 Documentary 2:00 Music 2:30 English News Service 3:00 TV Drama: Paviliun 21 3:30 City News 4:00 Film 6:00 Pesona Fisika 7:00 News 8:00 TV Series 9:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 9:30 Music 10:00 Indonesian Film 12:00 a.m. Shadow Puppet TPI 6:00 a.m.

Mining business help lift UT sales The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Publicly listed heavy equipment company PT United Tractor (UT) announced on Thursday that it booked slightly higher sales last year, contributed mostly by its mining businesses. In its report to the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX), the company said that its sales surged to Rp 6.89 trillion (US$820 million) from Rp 6.88 trillion last year, on the back of an increase in coal output and price.

Riau intent on putting a stop to rampant deforestation Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau Riau plans to review its forestry policy to curb rampant illegal logging, which contributes to regular flooding in the resource- rich province, its governor says. Governor Rusli Zainal said the number of forest concessions given to businessmen and timber companies was too high and out of proportion to the size of forests in the province.

BMG warns of possible landslides, floods The Jakarta Post Jakarta The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) warned public on Friday of more landslides and floods due to rainstorms that would fall until the end of this month, especially in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Art classes for kids begin YOGYAKARTA: The Yogyakarta Cultural Center (TBY) officially launched a program called Art for Children, which offers various arts and performances classes, especially designed for kids as early as kindergarten age up to junior high school. Head of TBY Suprapto said the free enrollment would begin on March 7 go every Sunday morning at the center's office on Jl. Sriwedani.

Faboulus Febi holds Japan to a 1-1 draw in Davis Cup Zakki Hakim and M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia held Japan to a 1-1 draw thanks to host's No. 1 Febi Widhiyanto, who defeated Gouichi Motomura in five sets in the second singles tennis match of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group I tie here, on Friday. Febi's 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 victory at the Bung Karno Tennis Open Stadium put a dampener on the Japanese squad's excitement.

RI-Australia museum exchange: A genuine good news story Rob Goodfellow Visiting Fellow Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies University of Wollongong New South Wales, Australia sujoko@ozemail.com.au In The Jakarta Post article A Rosier Account of RI-Australia Relations, Jan. 25, 2004, Dewi Anggraeni, reviewed the publication, Australia and Indonesia, Partners in Development, ACFOA, Melbourne.

City plans eviction in red light area JAKARTA: Central Jakarta city officials are planning a mass eviction of residents in at least 886 houses on Jl. Kebon Melati, Tanah Abang, after neighbors complained the houses were being used for prostitution. Tanah Abang municipality deputy head Arifin MD said the city would provide Rp 500,000 (about US$60) each as compensation for evicted house owners. "The eviction is based on the Bylaw No.

Executive class bus to join busway Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Just three weeks after the busway was launched on Jan. 15, the TransJakarta Busway management has said it plans to add executive-class buses and widen the corridor to allow for overtaking, which will impinge upon the rights of other road users. "The executive buses will need more space to pass the regular buses, because they will only stop at one designated shelter," management head Irzal Z. Djamal said on Friday.

House tells govt to start deliberating 2005 budget The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government should begin discussing the 2005 state budget now as the new government, expected in October, would have little time to draft one, House of Representative legislators said. Based on the House's Internal Regulations, the state budget must be endorsed at least one month before its implementation in January. A new president is expected to take office on October 20, 2004.

Short circuits or wrong wiring? From Suara Karya An increasing number of buildings have caught fire in the city lately, which are widely believed to have been caused by short circuits. In the 1970s, I saw a film, Towering Inferno, depicting a big fire that consumes a high-rise building due to the wrong use of cables. The installation of cables of inappropriate diameters causes overloading of electricity and thus the conflagration. The building contractor, therefore, is to blame in the movie.

Unpaid workers arrested for stealing from factory Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang Tangerang Police arrested on Friday 10 workers of PT Starwin Indonesia, which produces Reebok shoes, including the company's union chairman and deputy chairman. Union chairman Nurhayat Santoso and deputy chairman Suwondo were arrested for provoking workers to hold a massive strike between Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 last year. Both have been questioned by the Tangerang Police but remain free.

Slovakia to have Hyundai Motors plant SEOUL: Kia Motors Corp., controlled by South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor, has made a tentative decision to build a 1.5 billion-dollar factory in Slovakia, rather than in Poland, a news report said on Friday. Slovakia is offering more favorable terms, such as wages 10-20 percent lower, than Poland, the Seoul-based Mail Business Newspaper reported, citing an unnamed Hyundai Motor official.

Turk named suspect in theft MEDAN, North Sumatra: After two days of investigation, Turkish national Sensettin, 31, was named a suspect on Friday by Medan Police and was charged with hypnotizing and robbing a local resident. Adj. Comr. Maruli Siahaan, Medan Police chief of detectives, said the case began when Sensettin, along with his wife and a friend, dropped by pet shop Sumber Ternak Makmur Shop on Jl. Pinangbaris, Medan Sunggal, on Wednesday.

* Headlines:Moscow blast kills 39, Putin blames rebels2 * National:Police seize assets of firms involved in BNI scam 4 * Archipelago: Riau intent on putting a stop to deforestation5 * Opinion: Do Jakartans actually need more shopping centers?6 * City: Busway blamed for accidents8 * Sports:Hewitt helps Australia draw level with Sweden 10 * World:Sharon seeks U.S.

Tribes involvement in conservation sought Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government should recognize the rights of tribal communities to manage natural resources in Indonesia's conservation areas, an environmental forum said. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said it knew of many tribal communities who were evicted from and had no access to conservation areas despite having lived in them for a long time. The government regarded the tribes as a threat, it said.

Thai guns circulate in North Sumatra: Police Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra A Thai criminal syndicate is believed to be smuggling large quantities of firearms into North Sumatra through seaports across the province, police said on Friday. Provincial police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Sunarno said his office knew of at least 91 AK-47 and M-16 rifles recently smuggled into Indonesia. Thirty-five of the guns were still believed to be circulating in North Sumatra, he said.

Councillor reported for bigamy PEKANBARU, Riau: Zanzibar Nong, deputy speaker of the Riau provincial council, has been reported to police for tying the knot with Elinar, 45, the wife of local resident Tengku Indra Kusuma. Indra, in a press conference held on Friday, said he had filed the report on Thursday. "The marriage is illegal because Elinar is still married to me," he told reporters, accompanied by his lawyer Aswar HS.