New judicial move Thursday, April 1, 2004 is a historical day for Indonesia's judicial system because from that date on, the courts -- including the administrative courts -- fall under the auspices of the Supreme Court, instead of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. The Supreme Court is now fully responsible for both operational and administrative affairs regarding judges.

Upgrade trains for traffic relief There have been several options discussed about trying to deal with the gridlock traffic in Jakarta. Notable ideas are a light rail system and the busway. There is another option not yet discussed -- a train system. At the moment, the Bogor to Jakarta and Bekasi to Jakarta lines transport thousands or tens of thousands of people between the cities each day.

Stock prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange (in rupiah) on April 1, 2004 _________________________________________________________________________ Shares Close Change Trading Volume __________________________________________________________________________ Abdi Bangsa Tbk 275 0 0 Ades Alfindo Tbk 975 50 68,000 Adhi Karya 175 5 2,957,000 Adira Dinamika 2,200 -125 643,500 AGIS Tbk 125 5 1,000 Akbar Indo Makmur 85 0 105,500 Alakasa Industrindo 135 0 0 Alfa Retailindo Tbk 1,000 -150 3,000 Alter...

Police pursue mastermind behind Gunawan's foiled escape Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara revealed on Thursday that police were "pursuing the mastermind" behind the foiled escape on Tuesday of defendant Gunawan Santosa while en route from Salemba Penitentiary to the North Jakarta District Court. He did not provide any further details on the matter.

JP/13/Budget Govt set to propose 2005 economic indicators The Jakarta Post Jakarta Minister of Finance Boediono said on Wednesday that the government would submit the 2005 macroeconomic assumptions to the House of Representatives in May. He said that the figures could be used by the new government as a basis to design the 2005 state budget. "We'll formulate economic figures that could be achieved in 2005," he said.

What learning is emerging from the election? Simon Marcus Gower Executive Principal High/Scope Indonesia School Jakarta The elections in Indonesia would probably reasonably be heralded around the world as another step in the right direction for democracy. Such an analysis is, though, not really very deep in considering what has been going on here during the election campaigning and what the prospective candidates have been laying out as their agenda for the voting public.

Poll watchdogs laud quiet campaign The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Political parties, election watchdogs and non-governmental organizations, described the 22-day legislative campaign election period, which ended on Thursday, as a relatively peaceful and orderly campaign. Saut Sirait of the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said that the campaign proceeded smoothly without any significant clashes between the supporters of the 24 political parties.

Chinese-Indonesians politically active Kavi Chongkittavorn, The Nation, Asia News Network, Bangkok Satu musuh -- sudah kebanyakan, seribu kawan -- masih kekurangan, is the motto of Eddy Sadeli. He translates the expression as "one enemy is too many, one thousand friends are too few". Sadeli, who is Chinese, has a greater interest in making friends than enemies, especially among the pribumi, or indigenous Indonesians. After all, he is taking part in the legislative election scheduled for April 5.

Voter cards have foul language fBANDUNG: Poll committee members at Lebak Gede subdistrict here discovered on Thursday that snafus on the voter cards from the General Election Commission (KPU) included several dirty words. Ade M, a poll committee member also showed reporters 226 voter cards that had the same address, although the house at that address was only inhabited by seven people from one family.

Reassessing state monopolies Patrick Guntensperger, Business Consultant, Jakarta ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com Polls indicate that the quality of services provided by government utility monopolies is among the most frequent complaints here in Indonesia. A fresh government could take those complaints and turn them into an opportunity for real progress in this country.

Delay in polls could prompt capital flight Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A delay in the planned general election this year would create serious damage to the country's economy as investor confidence would tumble due to the uncertainty, an investment expert warned. Antonio Yongnata, vice president at Citigroup Asset Management, said such a delay could prompt capital flight and put pressure on the stock market as well as the country's currency.

More Indonesians buying luxurious houses in S'pore Fitri Wulandari The Jakarta Post Singapore The Singapore property market is improving, spurred by growing demand for high-end property from foreign buyers, including wealthy Indonesians, a developer said. Justin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore-based McRidge Investment Pte. Ltd. said more Indonesians were now buying luxurious houses or "good-class" bungalows in Singapore either as second homes or for investment purposes.

Indosat reports sharp rise in 2003 net profit Indonesia's second-largest telecoms company PT Indosat on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in 2003 net profit on the back of better operating results and a tax benefit. The company reported 2003 net profit of Rp 1.57 trillion (US$183 million) compared with 336.25 billion rupiah the previous year. Indosat said sales rose year-on-year to Rp 8.23 trillion from Rp 6.76 trillion.

Support for KPK We would like to apologize to Patrick Guntensperger for the lack of information on the Partnership for Governance Reform that became apparent in his letter to The Jakarta Post on March 26. The Partnership is a multi-stakeholder initiative and has been inclusive from the very beginning. It cooperates with the government, NGOs and business associations on both national and local levels.

Asia to link cities with jets JAKARTA: Governor Sutiyoso revealed on Thursday that Asia would have jet planes linking major cities in the region to boost ties among them. "The procurement of jets is one of the commitments agreed to in the last meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities (ANMC) in Hanoi, Vietnam, last year," he said, after a meeting of the organizing committee of the next ANMC meeting to be held in Jakarta in November.

FedEx golf to begin 8th season Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The eighth edition of the FedEx Corporate Golf Tournament will begin its six-month swing on April 16, with organizers looking to provide business opportunities for the participants. The tournament, which will be played in six legs at six different golf courses using six different formats, is seen as an opportunity for businesspeople to establish contacts.

Indonesian democracy on course The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore The important thing about Indonesia's parliamentary elections next week is that the country's stability is no longer hostage to political outcomes. The 1999 polls were held in the testy aftermath of the Asian economic crisis and the departure of the Soeharto regime, an exit that released destructive forces created by the centrifugal pulls of ethnicity and regionalism.

Four held for counterfeiting money in C. Java Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java Central Java Police detectives arrested on Wednesday night four people in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar regency, for counterfeiting. The police also seized, among other things, fake money amounting to Rp 35 million, which was ready for circulation, and hundreds of sheets of paper used for Rp 50,000 banknotes. Sr. Comr.

JP/20/AZAS Azas Tigor fights for just cause Emmy Fitri The Jakarta Post Jakarta Don't expect Azas Tigor Nainggolan to apologize because he won't. As an ordinary human being, does he ever make a mistake in his personal judgment?

Indosat reports sharp rise in 2003 net profit Indonesia's second-largest telecoms company PT Indosat on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in 2003 net profit on the back of better operating results and a tax benefit. The company reported 2003 net profit of Rp 1.57 trillion (US$183 million) compared with 336.25 billion rupiah the previous year. Indosat said sales rose year-on-year to Rp 8.23 trillion from Rp 6.76 trillion.

* Headlines:11 killed in level crossing accident 2 * National:Abortion OK in case of rape, incest: Scholars 4 * Archipelago:Key witness in Freeport case changes story 5 * Opinion:Chinese-Indonesians politically active 6 * City:Audit agency's performance severely criticized 8 * Sports:Indonesia looks forward to strong athletic showing 10 * World:Abu Sayyaf says ready to bomb Philippine capital 11 * Business:Prices rise in March during election campaign: BPS 13 * Features:Legendary general now...

Mangrove forest eco-tourism conservation versus commercialism Nirwono Joga Chairman Indonesian Landscape Architecture Study Group Jakarta The Agricultural and Forestry Service has introduced its mangrove eco-tourism program, an idea in the works for quite a while. This program is actually an effort to commercialize, not conserve, mangrove forests. It is obvious that the Jakarta provincial administration is excellent at "selling" assets, rather than protecting and conserving them.

On Illegal logging In response to the article House tells foreign NGOs to be 'fair' (The Jakarta Post, March 24), head of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR) has quite clearly got it wrong. For the record, during the Rainbow Warrior investigative tour to Indonesia in January and February this year, at no time did Greenpeace advocate a trade boycott of tropical logs from Indonesia.

JP/13/Budget Govt set to propose 2005 economic indicators The Jakarta Post Jakarta Minister of Finance Boediono said on Wednesday that the government would submit the 2005 macroeconomic assumptions to the House of Representatives in May. He said that the figures could be used by the new government as a basis to design the 2005 state budget. "We'll formulate economic figures that could be achieved in 2005," he said.

2 x 27 Eight more bodies found in disaster-stricken area JP/Papua 3 x 13 Key witness in Freeport case changes story JP/5/POLICE 1 x 44 Four held for counterfeiting money in C. Java JP/5/poso 1 x 35 Five men quizzed over Poso attacks

1. Simon -- What learning is emerging from the election? 2 X 23 What learning will emerge from the elections? OR What are people learning from election campaigns? dangdut should be italicized Simon Marcus Gower Executive Principal High/Scope Indonesia School Jakarta 2. Fat3 -- No running away from FTAs 2 X 30 Free trade pacts irreversible within economic globalization Pichaya Changsorn and Usanee Mongkolporn The Nation Asia News Network Bangkok

Grassroots excel in democracy Today is the first of a three-day of cooling-off period prior to Monday's legislative election. Jakartans and residents of other big cities across the country may heave a sigh of relieve. Gone is the noisy traffic congestion caused by carnivals of motorized party supporters. Gone is the scene of party supporters on motorbikes, wearing green, red, yellow, white or other party color on their T-shirts carrying party flags running the traffic lights.

OPEC to cut oil output by one million bpd OPEC will go ahead with a planned oil output cut of one million barrels per day (bpd) from April 1, ministers told reporters on Wednesday after talks at their Vienna headquarters. The 10 nations in OPEC's quota system will implement a decision agreed on February 10 in Algiers to reduce their official crude oil production from 24.5 million bpd to 23.5 million from April 1, said the energy ministers of Algeria, Qatar and Kuwait separately.

1. Pat -- Government monopolies 1 X 23 Reassessing state monopolies Patrick Guntensperger Business Consultant Jakarta ttpguntensperger@hotmail.com 2. Nation -- A letter from Glodok, Jakarta 1 x 30 Chinese-Indonesians politically active tolong hyphenate Chinese-Indonesians di artikle. trims Kavi Chongkittavorn The Nation Asia News Network Bangkok 3. Strait -- Indonesia on course 1 x 30 Indonesian democracy on course The Straits Times Asia News Network Singapore

Independent nation From Suara Karya Information on technological developments is readily available via the Internet. Unless we strengthen our morality and faith as a civilized nation, our culture will be subjugated by foreign influences. Now that we are striving to free ourselves from the ongoing crisis, we must rise up to be an independent nation. We have to cut our reliance on foreign powers.

RI shares end higher, Telkom gains on rate rise Agencies, Jakarta/Hong Kong Indonesian shares ended higher on Thursday led by buying in Telekomunikasi Indonesia after the company raised local calls charges by 28 percent from April 1, dealers said. They said late buying in cigarette blue chips also pushed the main index higher.

The Internet could help reduce poverty Roger Harris, Development Consultant, Hong Kong Vulnerability to poverty now a fact of life more than half of all 215 million Indonesians and more than half of all Indonesians are likely to experience an episode of poverty every three years. These grim statistics seem to belie the fact that over the last three decades, the government of Indonesia has undertaken many initiatives to alleviate poverty through a variety of policies and programs.

Heritage sites in Bogor poorly maintained Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor At least three forts built during the Dutch and Japanese occupations and two Dutch mausoleums in Bogor have lapsed into poor condition and could be completely destroyed if no action was taken, heritage experts said. The three forts are located in Maseng village, Lepeus village and Pasir Angin village in Leuwiliang.