Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, January 23, 2005 Exhibitions * Indonesia Good Design Exhibition, Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said kav. S-3, South Jakarta (Tel. 5241069), Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Jan. 26 to Feb. 18. Workshop on Product Design 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Jan. 26 to Jan. 27. * Asian Cartoon Exhibition Cari Kerja di Asia, The Japan Foundation, Summitmas I, Jl. Jend. Sudirman kav. 61-62 South Jakarta (Tel.

1. Wolf: (2 x 14) Wolfowitz has high hopes for Aceh JP/1/PAUL Wolfowitz hopes Aceh now feel good to be part of Indonesia Riyadi Suparno The Jakarta Post/Banda Aceh Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz is still very much linked to Indonesia, as made evident at a press conference here on Saturday when he expressed hope that the tsunami catastrophe would unite the country, and spoke a few sentences in Bahasa Indonesia.

JP/P.J. Leo Singkawang's main landmark is popularly known as "kelenteng kota" or "town temple" due to its position in the heart of town. JP/P.J. Leo Motorists pass rows of traditional shop houses in the Singkawang commercial area. JP/P.J. Leo A craftsman puts the finishing touches on a ceramic Chinese urn before placing it in the kiln in Singkawang.

French relief worker dies in tsunami-hit Nias Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra French relief worker Alain Richard Patrick has died while carrying out humanitarian work on Nias Island, North Sumatra, making the 59 year old the first reported fatality among relief workers in tsunami-hit areas of the island.

Hell on wheels? The bright side to Jakarta's buses M. Grazella, Contributor, Jakarta If I had to make a promotional poster for buses in Jakarta, it would sound like this: "Ladies and gentlemen, climb aboard bus No.45, destination Blok M and experience the unique services we have in store for all our cherished clients. First, we provide music entertainment that no car can rival. Unlike other cars that can only spin the CD of your favorite musician, we provide you live music entertainment!

Meeting agrees on tsunami alert system Elaine Lies, Reuters, Kobe, Japan Experts and officials from around the world agreed to try to cut the number of deaths in disasters over the next decade and promised to set up a tsunami warning system at a conference that ended on Saturday. But aid workers said the framework agreement, which the United Nations hopes will halve the number of people killed in natural disasters, lacked detail on the steps needed to achieve its aims.

Tsunami survivors face test of will in makeshift shelters Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh Under the scorching sun, Zuraida and her three children struggled to get close to the boxes of secondhand clothes being dropped off by a long-haired relief worker from a pick-up truck. After vying with dozens of other aid-hungry Acehnese, she managed to pull out some items of clothing. "It's a normal thing here. We run quickly whenever a truck comes and we compete with the other refugees.

Shops, eateries slowly reopen doors in Banda Aceh Ahmad Pathoni and Cindy Sui, Agence France-Presse, Banda Aceh, Aceh The Grandma's Advice Cafe in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh is back in business, but customers should not expect to be greeted with music. And half the menu items are no longer available.

WHO raises spectre of human bird flu transmission Nguyen Nhat Lam Reuters/Hanoi The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the spectre of human-to-human transmission of deadly avian influenza following confirmation that two Vietnamese brothers had contracted the virus and one had died. The WHO confirmed that laboratory results had found the two brothers from northern Vietnam had been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The older one, a 47-year-old, had died on Jan 9.

Chile, Mexico, Venezuela eye tsunami aid SANTIAGO: Chile on Friday donated US$1 million to UNICEF, earmarked for aid to children who survived the devastating December 26 tsunami in South Asia. The money was collected from a benefit concert and a campaign dubbed "The Chilean people help southeast Asia." About 30 musicians in Mexico were due to hold a benefit concert Jan. 29 in Mexico City to raise funds for tsunami victims. And Venezuela will hold a telethon to raise aid funds, also set for Jan.

Spectacular Hindu fete will again be a major attraction in Singapore Arnd Petry, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Singapore One of the biggest and most spectacular Hindu festivals outside the Indian subcontinent is celebrated in the city state of Singapore with its substantial Hindu community. Thaipusam is celebrated again on Jan. 25 in the tenth month of the Hindu calendar when the star Pusam can be seen in the skies and it is full moon.

Indonesia pledges to keep Aceh relief efforts free of corruption Bhimanto Suwastoyo Agence France-Presse/Banda Aceh Indonesia on Saturday outlined measures aimed at proving to the world that relief and reconstruction operations in tsunami- devastated Aceh will not fall victim to the widespread corruption that plagues the country.

Culinary festival takes regional journey via laksa Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta Clear or rich, tang or savory, laksa is one of the most versatile soups that comes in many different versions. In addition, this one-meal dish is proof that the Malay people of Southeast Asia have a shared culinary heritage. The dish, which literally means "ten thousand" and indicates a wealth of tradition and customs, has its roots in the Baba-Nyonya cuisine of old that thrived in the region.

Floods keep thousands stranded in regions The Jakarta Post, Medan/Palembang/Jakarta While flooding has receded in Jakarta and allowed people whose houses were inundated to return home, thousands of people in the regions were still displaced due to floods as of Saturday. Over 2,500 people in Langkat regency, North Sumatra province, had to stay put in shelters as the water level in their neighborhood was still high.

Singkawang: Town of beaches and kilns Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Singkawang, West Kalimantan Singkawang, a small town three hours by car from Pontianak, is known among certain crowds for its amoy -- a derogatory term for teenaged female sex workers of Chinese descent. Few people, though, are aware that the area also boasts splendid white-sand beaches and kilns where Chinese-style ceramics are fired, as over half of Singkawang's population is of Chinese descent.

2 x 22 (heading) Govt plans monitoring teams to supervise Aceh reconstruction Govt open to NGOs and donors in team to supervise Aceh reconstruction or NGOs, donors welcome to join team to supervise Aceh reconstruction Tony Hotland The Jakarta Post/Banda Aceh The government will set up a number of supervisory bodies tasked with monitoring various reconstruction projects in tsunami-battered Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, a minister said.

JP/18/Town Culinary festival takes regional journey via laksa Maria Endah Hulupi The Jakarta Post Clear or rich, tang or savory, laksa is one of the most versatile soups that comes in many different versions. In addition, this one-meal dish is proof that the Malay people of Southeast Asia have a shared culinary heritage. The dish, which literally means "ten thousand" and indicates a wealth of tradition and customs, has its roots in the Baba-Nyonya cuisine of old that thrived in the region.

Small talk, big dreams fill coffee shops Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, West Kalimantan At least one ubiquitous American-based coffee shop chain ought to be interested in establishing its upmarket coffee shops in the city of Pontianak, where the people really seem to have an affinity for coffee and mingling. In the fairly large city -- about a sixth of the size of Jakarta -- various types of coffee shops have sprouted up all over and most are packed with customers night and day.

Quick recovery of Meulaboh Life is returning to normal in the western coast town of Meulaboh, Aceh, which lost a third of its population and 80 percent of its area to the earthquake and tidal waves of Dec. 26. Aside from the inherent strength of the Acehnese people, the town's relatively speedy recovery is a result of the coordinated relief efforts initiated by the Indonesian Military and the Singaporean humanitarian assistance task force.

TV Program: Sunday, January 23, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Maya The Bee 7:30 Children Show 9:00 Music: Delta 10:30 Sports: Antar Arena 11:30 English for Fun 12:30 p.m. Children Show 1:00 News: Berita Siang 1:30 Documentary 3:00 English News Service 3:30 Music 5:00 Cartoon: Tabulaga 5:30 Documentary 7:00 News: Berita Nasional 7:30 Talk Show 9:00 Italian League (Live) 11:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 11:30 Puppet Show TPI 6:00 a.m.

Pontianak: A city with an increasingly lonely yet serene river Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Pontianak, West Kalimantan On one quiet cloudy day in the town of Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia's longest river the Kapuas was a picture of serenity, with only a few boats drifting listlessly down it. Unlike its close relative, the Barito River in Central Kalimantan that has a famous floating market bustling with life, these days, the Kapuas flows mostly without people.

Cafes, shops, restaurants slowly come back to life in Indonesia's Banda Aceh Ahmad Pathoni and Cindy Sui Agence France-Presse/Banda Aceh The Grandma's Advice Cafe in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh is back in business, but customers should not expect to be greeted with music. And half the menu items are no longer available.

Women bowlers decry prize gender gap Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta When women's bowler Wendy Chai of Malaysia won the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) Tournament of Champions here last week, she had every reason to be proud about taking the season-ending championships. As she picked up her winner's check for US$10,000, she also may have paused to think about what might have been. For if she had triumphed in the men's event, Chai would have taken home double the amount.

Rebuilding team open to NGOs and donors Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh The government will set up a number of supervisory bodies tasked with monitoring various reconstruction projects in tsunami-battered Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, a minister said. Non-governmental organizations and representatives from donors would also be included in the monitoring teams. "This is one of our answers to the many doubts and concerns about the possible abuse of the funds we receive.

KL to crack down on illegal immigrants KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not further extend an amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from tsunami-hit Indonesia and other countries, and will begin a crackdown on Feb. 1, a report said Saturday. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted by The Star as saying the government had given foreigners enough time to respond after extending the amnesty period following the December 26 disaster that killed nearly 220,000 people.

Welcome to Jakarta, the underwater metropolis "What a beautiful sight!" a friend exclaimed upon seeing the skyline from the 27th floor of a five-star hotel in Central Jakarta. It was raining heavily on that Tuesday night. He went on, "There are still many vacant plots.