Sword of honor It was a homecoming of sorts for East Timor's first lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao as she returned to Jakarta, the place where she met her husband Xanana, for the launch of her autobiography. Page 9 Shanghai surprises Rapidly transforming into one of Asia's most dynamic cities, Shanghai is a bustling construction site. Still, amid such modern landmarks as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, a few glorious examples of historic buildings can be glimpsed. Page 13

KL defends Mahathir over gift MALAYSIA: The government defended former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday for his gift of Malaysian timber to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, a report said. Mahathir, caught up in a scandal over whether Mugabe was using taxpayers' money to build a 25-bedroom private mansion in his impoverished country, has said the gift of sawn timber was made on behalf of the government while he was in office, but denied any misuse of national assets.

Compost sees big picture of saving wildlife Fritz Kuhlmann, Contributor, Jakarta The rhino saunters out of the incredibly green jungle. It gives a long, long look from it's old eyes in a cluster of wrinkles. Then it turns and slowly walks away. "The beauty of the moment," said Alain Compost, admiring the scene on one of the three monitors in his studio.

Flame, Elektrik win Proliga crowns JAKARTA: The Surabaya Flame and Jakarta Elektrik emerged as the champions in the men's and women's division respectively at the Proliga 2004 volleyball championships here after winning their final matches on Saturday. The Flame made amends for their 2003 finals defeat by overcoming Bandung Telkomsel 25-20, 25-21, 25-13 at the Bung Karno Sports Complex. The Surabaya-based team was beaten by Bandung Tectona in the the final last year.

Dwarfed plants bring nature to a home interior Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In the Japanese art of suiseki (beautiful-shaped natural stones), dwarfed plants are frequently added to enhance the presentation of the stones, completing "the story" of each stone. Just like the art of suiseki itself, the tiny plants as well as the bases on which they are grown are carefully chosen and combined to meet esthetic considerations, such as an overall pleasant shape and balanced proportion.

Riding the waves Boats are not for a leisurely ride on the lake for the Biak people in Papua, but the essential mode of transportation for their daily needs. Here, boats take the place of motorbikes or cars in urban areas. People need them when they go fishing in the open sea, ferry their children to school or even when playing. As day breaks or night falls, the boats are a fixture in witnessing the changing colors, be it blue in the morning or red when the sun sets in the evening.

Amien woos traders, drivers BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Candidate Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) campaigned on Saturday in Banda Aceh, capital of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, walking his well-worn campaign trail to open markets and lunching with pedicab drivers.

Fishermen take their chances one day at a time Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Pangandaran, West Java Miad Sayuti slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his home, little more than a hut with bamboo walls and a plain cement floor. The 41-year-old fisherman was about to go to sea with his brother Makmun and another friend to hoist the net they had set two days before at coral reefs near the island of Nusakambangan.

Sword Gusmao recounts love affair with RI David Kennedy, Contributor, Jakarta, t_sullivan@cbn.net.id When Kirsty Sword Gusmao stepped off the plane from Dili this week to launch her autobiography in Jakarta, she must have given a little smile. The Australian-born mother of two spent much of the 1990s in the Indonesian capital as an undercover activist for the East Timorese independence movement.

Erni Johan rocks for Wiranto BANDUNG: Erni Johan, 55, a famous 1970s rock artist, proved she still has crowd-appeal during a campaign in Bandung for Wiranto. She was decked out in a retro outfit of bell-bottom jeans and a white blouse when she appeared on Saturday before Wiranto supporters at Cingcin Soreang field here. Bandung has an active contemporary music scene, and is known to be the center for start-up young musicians.

Program gets young into the swing of voting Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Suara kamu ngaruh banget! -- "your voice counts a lot" -- was read and heard all over the west plaza area of Senayan sports complex last week, amid the din of loud music and people's chatter. Around the clock from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Crowd boos Mega miscue in Mataram Trisna Wahyuni/Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Jakarta Who says Indonesian voters are not educated or mature enough to be able to distinguish what is right and what is wrong? Thousands of people in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) booed presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri Saturday when she erroneously mentioned that Lombok was part of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province. "Thank you very much.

Seafood restaurant serves it Hong Kong style Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta In Hong Kong, there is a fishing village which for over a century has been famous for its seafood restaurants. What makes Lei Yue Mun in Kowloon special is that customers can choose the type of seafood they want, and then have it cooked fresh before their eyes.

Writers union gives voice to free speech around the world Chisato Hara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In a country whose literature is muted, or at best under-read, international acclaim of one of its authors or poets is a precious anomaly. As Pramoedya Ananta Toer said on June 2 in his acceptance speech for the Norwegian Authors' Union Freedom of Expression Award, "That a country of the North Pole would have ventured to take notice of some writer in a country so very, very far away...

Korean militaries set up hot line SOUTH KOREA: Military officials from North and South Korea agreed on Saturday to set up a hot line in August to prevent naval clashes along their poorly marked sea border, South Korea's defense ministry said. The hot line between the two navies, which will begin operating on Aug. 12, will allow them to negotiate if problems arise on the disputed western maritime border, the ministry said in a statement.

Month-long party to mark anniversary Jakarta has undergone many transformations and borne many names: Sunda Kelapa, Jayakarta, Batavia and Jacatra. The anniversary of the establishment of the city is officially celebrated on June 22. This year, to mark its 477th anniversary, the Jakarta administration has prepared a month-long festival. Upcoming events: June 14-July 14: Jakarta Great Sale 2004 Location: Department stores, malls, retail centers, hotels and restaurants across the capital.

KL keeps 10 suspected militants in jail Jasbant Singh, Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia extended the detention of 10 suspected Islamic militants for two more years on Saturday, saying they still posed a threat to national security, officials said.

Contest seeks rising stars A longtime sponsor of major fashion events worldwide, such as the fashion weeks in New York and Australia, Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award (MBAFA) is now looking for the next big name in Indonesian fashion. The Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award-Indonesia 2004 is aimed at finding representatives to participate in the region-wide event, as Indonesia does not currently have a similar level national fashion competition.

Plug pulled on 'peace' concert VIETNAM: An international concert to promote peace and highlight UN antipoverty goals that would have been the biggest musical event ever in Vietnam has been canceled with just 10 days to go, organizers said on Saturday. Lionel Ritchie, Gloria Gaynor and Peter Yarrow of 1960s group Peter, Paul and Mary were among those set to entertain 45,000 at Vietnam's national stadium on June 22 until organizers said "insurmountable circumstances" had forced them to cancel.

I-Box Freedom of Expression recipients 1994Izzat Ghazzawi (Palestine) 1995Ismael Besikci; Akin Birdal, Isan Haklari Dernegi human rights organization (Turkey) 1996Joar Tranoy, psychiatrist (Norway) 1997Yasar Kemal (Turkey?), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria) 1998Axel Jensen (Norway) 1999Yehude Simon Munaro (Peru) 2000Zemljko Kopanja, editor (Serbia) 2001Amos Oz (Israel) 2002Anna Politkovskaja, journalist (Russia) 2003Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Indonesia)

TV Program: Sunday, June 13, 2004 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 6:00 a.m. Morning News 7:00 Children Show: Pentas Ceria 9:00 Music: Delta 10:00 Sports: Otoscreen 11:00 TV Drama 12:30 p.m. English for Fun 1:00 News: Berita Siang 2:00 Music 3:00 English News Service 4:30 Music 5:00 Cartoon: Robocon 6:30 Talk Show: Obrolan Wong Cilik 7:00 News: Berita Malam 8:00 Music 8:30 TV Drama 9:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 9:30 Music: Dansa Yo Dansa 11:00 Puppet Theater TPI 6:30 a.m.

Shanghai: Surprises come with patience, a little legwork Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Shanghai, China On my first visit to China, I was intent on seeing the "real" face of the country -- its architecture, arts and food -- all part of the cultural diaspora that has spread across the world. But as I set my bags down in my hotel in the bustling Pudong area, I saw no trace of the China I imagined. Surrounded by skyscrapers, I could have been in any metropolis anywhere in the world.

550 to paint Mega in contest SURAKARTA: As of Saturday, 550 artists from across the nation had filled out an entry form for the painting competition to be held in Surakarta themed: One million faces of Megawati Soekarnoputri- Hasyim Muzadi. Hajar Satoto, head of the competition's organizing committee, said entrance registration officially closed on Saturday.

I-Box Freedom of Expression recipients 1994Izzat Ghazzawi (Palestine) 1995Ismael Besikci; Akin Birdal, Isan Haklari Dernegi human rights organization (Turkey) 1996Joar Tranoy, psychiatrist (Norway) 1997Yasar Kemal (Turkey), Wole Soyinka (Nigeria) 1998Axel Jensen (Norway) 1999Yehude Simon Munaro (Peru) 2000Zemljko Kopanja, editor (Serbia) 2001Amos Oz (Israel) 2002Anna Politkovskaja, journalist (Russia) 2003Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Indonesia)

Feng Shui masters revel as Asian property picks up Tara Joseph and Dominic Whiting, Reuters, Hong Kong/Bangkok Asia's feng shui masters are thanking their lucky numbers as the ancient Chinese practice gains in popularity and the region's property markets are on the upturn. Feng shui has become so popular among Asia's ethnic-Chinese business elite from Bangkok to Beijing that Western investors are hiring practitioners, partly to please staff and local partners.

China's south on Hong Kong menu Gregor Garbassen, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Hong Kong Looking for a Chinese meal in Hong Kong presents problems that few Europeans may have encountered on their usual trips to Chinese restaurants in their home countries. Here there is no such thing as Chinese cuisine, rather a wide variety from different regions, each with its distinctive characteristics.